Portland Hikers Archive

Silver Falls State Park: 11/5/06

The water is back !! The falls were raging today , seemingly even harder on the North end . A steady drizzle / light rain finally got my camera too wet and knocked out the battery just before North Falls. But Jane and Mary Ann should be able to add some from that end when they get a chance to add theirs. We started from the main lot at South Falls where there were just a couple other cars. Although wet there was almost no breeze , except the ones caused by the waterfalls, and it was fairly warm and humid. The visuals...

South Falls ...

and from a bit farther back..

Lower South Falls..

Had the sun been out today there would've still been some great colors with the yellow maples all over the place. It looks like it would have been pretty impressive a week or two ago.

Fading fall colors along Silver Creek...

Double Falls through the maples..

Middle North Falls ...

For most of the last few years they have had a 'closed ' sign chained over the trail behind Middle North Falls. not today. and it seemed they had improved the area behind the falls a bit from what i seem to remember it being the times i accidentially stepped over the closed sign without seeing it. There still is no railing like the other ones on the main trail though and it is dark , wet and slippery so use caution.

Middle North Falls from the opposite side..

If you get a chance to go in the near future, it's definitely worth seeing. it's a different place this time of year, especially empty if you go on a weekday and go early. if you go after the weather cools back to normal , remember, the canyon will be colder than the road / parking lots and it can get icy near the falls.

Silver Falls State Park: 11/5/06

Wow!  Those falls were just GUSHING!

I like the optical illusion that the falls get shorter as they get wider...

Nice option for a day like today!  Hope y'all stayed warm!

Silver Falls State Park: 11/5/06

Gene, nice photos, especially the one of Double Falls through the yellow maples. Did you hike the Trail of Ten Falls loop?

Silver Falls State Park: 11/5/06

We were out there (camping) Oct 20-21.  The colors were definitely in the gold range, not much red at all to break it up.  I took a few pictures, I'll upload them when I get home.  Only did a small portion of the hike since my lower back has been hurting for a couple weeks and I didn't want to injure it further.  I hate being sidelined with an injury when I'd rather be out hiking! 

Ellen

Re: 11/27 Silver Falls State Park

it's pretty hard to describe the conditions there today so i'll try and let the pictures do it for me.. Mary Ann and I took a ride down to an empty Silver Falls State Park today....

here's what South Falls looked like upon our arrival...

the snow made it really seem like a winter wonderland...

this is looking back down the creek from the top of the stairs that lead to Lower South Falls...

and Lower South Falls..

needless to say the falls were just raging. there were warning signs for high water on the trail but there was no water anywhere that it normally wouldn't be. i'm not sure why the signs were up.. anyway , back to the falls..

Lower North Falls with the bridge in the background..

Middle North Falls was absolutely roaring.. this one is from a bit back on the trail..

and a closer-up Middle North Falls from the other side...

on to an early look at  North Falls .. (i really like this one)

and a different angle with the deep green moss on the tree limbs closer to North Falls..

after a quick snack stop under the bridge , a rare dry and clear spot (chocolate cake and a coke for me) it was back on the last leg of the trail.

this was on the way to Upper North Falls..

and the end of the outward leg of the hike at Upper North Falls..

as the sky got a bit lighter we decided to head back walking up the road to catch the North Falls viewpoint that was really foggy as we drove in. it turned out to be great timing for an incredible long-range view of the falls.

here's North Falls from up at the viewpoint..

and North Falls again from a slightly different angle..

we then hopped on the Rim Trail and then headed back down past Winter Falls ( i have to leave a couple out or this will take forever) and back over the bridge to finish the loop. all of a sudden the skies just opened up and it was like a little blizzard...

and a vastly different looking Lower South Falls as the snow comes down in blankets...

and a last look at South Falls as the snow falls and the heater in the car is calling..

actually the conditions were amazingly nice. it really didn't feel nearly as cold as it must have been. there was not even a breeze except near the falls. and we saw maybe a couple people the entire 5 hours or so down there. mostly at the two trailhead areas. we saw only one other couple actually out on the trail. what a day!

here's a link to Mary Ann's photos...

http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/BI7zk4eh