Trail of 10 Falls
Silver Falls State Park is located about 55mi south of Portland, Oregon. At over 9,000 acres, it’s a pretty big park, and there are a lot of trails to explore. The Trail of 10 Falls is listed at 7.2mi on the park map, but it seemed longer, probably because I was walking around looking for composition opportunities at each of the waterfalls. There are four trail heads. I suggest starting at the South Falls parking lot, going north on Canyon Trail, and returning on Rim Trail. Here’s the route I took:
This route took me about 5 hours, with a 15min lunch break at North Falls and stopping at each waterfall to take photos. It was drizzling slightly, and the trails were not busy at all. The fall colors crept out of the foliage, and it was beautiful. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!
South Falls
This was my first stop. I hiked to the base and framed up the following shot, getting the pool of water in the foreground to give the sense of the water traveling downstream.
One of the great things about the Trail of 10 Falls is that you can actually walk behind some of the waterfalls. Here’s a shot from behind South Falls. Why can’t Orange County have colors like this?
Lower South Falls
Lower South Falls was one of my favorite waterfalls of the day. For this shot, I had to wait for a group to pass, which gave me some time to just enjoy the scenery. That’s something that I find myself needing to do every once in a while: take a step back and just enjoy the environment. Sometimes I get caught up in needing to capture everything that I miss the experience. Hiking here definitely allowed me to reel it in and enjoy nature.
When framing up the shot, I placed the waterfall on the right to give the water a bit more room to breathe in the photograph. I increased the vibrance in post-production a bit to give the waterfall a slightly blueish hue, but didn’t want to overdo it.
Lower North Falls
There are a lot of brooks and streams throughout the park, and hearing the sound of running water was very relaxing to me. When I got to Lower North Falls, there was a lot of cloud cover, so I added a stop of light to my exposure.
Double Falls
This next shot is actually from my phone, as the one I took on my camera came out blurry for some reason. The runoff was low, but it was still beautiful to see. Getting this framed up was a little difficult because of the height of the falls and the narrow pathway. At 13mm, this was the best I could do. It was one of the rare times that I wish I had a 9mm lens.
Drake Falls
When approaching Drake Falls, there was a little wooden platform where I could set up my tripod. It wasn’t that sturdy, so I couldn’t get a long exposure shot of Drake Falls. However, the water was rushing down and even at 1/2.5sec the water became smooth.
Middle North Falls
From a composition standpoint, Middle North Falls was one of the most interesting waterfalls. As I approached, I saw this branch that hung low and curved up a bit, and decided this would give a bit of depth to the shot. Also, the waterfall itself is visually unique. Take a look at the top of the runoff. From that point to about midway down the waterfall, the stream of water looks pretty thin. Then, there’s a shelf of rock that juts out where the water hits before hitting the bottom. That shelf spreads the water a bit, making it appear thicker than it was higher up. I really liked that!
Twin Falls
I’m not entirely sure why this next waterfall is called “Twin Falls”. Maybe when the runoff is higher there’s more to it? Anyway, this shot was another one that turned out a little blurry. I did have to shoot this one fully zoomed in using my 12-40mm lens, as there wasn’t actually a great place up close to shoot the waterfall.
North Falls
North Falls gave me the silkiest shot because of the free-falling water at a great height. I especially like how the water looks like its enveloping the rocks below.
There is a wide path leading behind North Falls. There are benches there and I decided that this would be a great place to take a break and have lunch. Here is the view I had:
There was something very serene about being behind this massive waterfall by myself, just taking in the sights. Not a shabby view for a lunch, eh?
Upper North Falls
Upper North Falls is my favorite waterfall in Silver Falls State Park. When I arrived, there was a family there enjoying the waterfall. As I waited for a clear shot, I set up my tripod and the mother came up and we chatted for a bit. Her and her husband flew in from the East Coast to visit their son, who actually had never visited Silver Falls State Park, even though he only lives about 30min away. We chatted about nature, photography, and how beautiful Oregon is. I love these impromptu encounters. Sometimes, especially living in Orange County, we get so wrapped up in our own world and tribulations that we forget to reach out to our fellow people and just make a connection, even if it’s just for a moment.
One of my favorite aspects about this photograph is the subtle reflection of the waterfall in the pool below. I reduced the exposure in post-processing, as I feel the slightly darker scene captures the emotion and experience a bit better.
Winter Falls
To finish off the Trail of 10 Falls, I took Rim Trail back to the trail head. On the way, I took a quick detour to visit the 10th waterfall: Winter Falls. The runoff was really low, and I’d love to come back to visit later in the season.
A Bit of History of Silver Falls State Park
The ancestors of the Kalapuya and Molalla, two groups of native people, occupied the Willamette Valley over 14,000 years ago. Their numbers declined rapidly and they eventually disappeared in the 1850s as diseases from the settlers spread through their population.
In 1883, the first land homesteaded was next to South Falls and was, for all intents and purposes, the capital of Silver Falls City. At the time, the community had a few stores and some other businesses and public buildings.
When the Great Depression hit in 1929, Oregon’s most important industry, timber, tanked. The prosperity of Silver Falls City fell with it, and it wasn’t until the Civilian Conservation Corps program was enacted that sparked the construction of the park as it is today. This program put previously unemployed people to work constructing bridges and trails, along with other forms of park infrastructure. By 1948, over 5,000 acres were added to the Park.
Two particularly important people in the Park’s history are the photographer June Drake and Oregon’s first state park superintendent Samuel Boardman. June spearheaded a campaign to enclose the waterfalls and surrounding areas into the park. Samuel developed and expanded Oregon’s park system.
Silver Falls State Park is Oregon’s largest state park at over 9,000 acres and officially opened in 1993.
Easily one of the best hikes I did while visiting Oregon. I highly recommend it!
As always, comments, conversations, feedback, and messages are always welcome!
Such a good pictures and writing. I really enjoy it! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Wonderful photos–thank you for sharing!
Thank you!