Trail Talk Thursday #9

Canyon Trail

This 3.9-mile trail takes you from South Falls through the canyon, hence its name, to North Falls. From the South Falls, instead of going back up to the lodge, this trail takes you along the South Fork of Silver Creek until you get to Lower South Falls. At this point along the trail, a series of switchbacks that are mostly stairs lead you deeper into the canyon and under the waterfall, much like South Falls, except there is a stone wall instead of a fence. If you were to come during Winter or early Spring, you would find a bit of water flooding the pathway behind Lower South Falls up to a few inches deep. Continuing on down the trail will bring you to the intersection with the Maple Ridge Trail, roughly 1 mile from the bridge below South Falls. At this intersection, there is a trail sign and bench that allows hikers to decide which way they want to go, and to rest if necessary. For those that are getting tired, it is recommended that you go back via the Maple Ridge Trail.

Lower South Falls

 From this intersection, the Canyon Trail dips into the North Canyon alongside the North Fork of Silver Creek. At roughly three-quarters of a mile from the intersection, a bridge will take hikers across to the other side. At this spot, fishermen come to try their luck at getting small Brook Trout is summer. Just upstream is Lower North Falls, a favorite in Autumn for the multi-colored Vine Maples that go perfectly with the 30-foot cascade.
  

Lower North Falls

As you travel past the Lower North Falls, there is an additional 0.2-mile round trip hike along Hullt Creek that brings you to Double Falls, the only waterfall in the park that is split in two by a ledge, creating a double waterfall. This waterfall also has another claim to fame, being that it is the tallest waterfall in the park at 177 feet high.

 Double Falls

From Hullt Creek to the intersection with the Winter Trail, a half mile upstream, there are two more waterfalls: Drake Falls, named after the photographer that brought attention to the area; and Middle North Falls. A short trail takes visitors behind the Middle North Falls. In fact, the rock layers above, beside, and under this trail are the same as the ones at the Lower South Falls. The intersection with the Winter Trail provides the weary a shortcut back to their vehicle; but be warned, there is a steep hill next to Winter Falls.

Middle North Falls

If you feel like going on, the next waterfall you will see is Twin Falls, named so because it flows over the same rock in two places. A trail that connects here will take you to the North Fall Group Campground. From Twin Falls to North Falls, many boulders line the creekbed, some as large as a bedroom. These massive boulders fell off of an ancient rock ledge, much like the ledge at North Falls. Once you get to North Falls, you can see some smaller boulders at the base of the waterfall. These likely fell off sometime in the last millenium.

Twin Falls

Under the North Falls, a cavern has allowed people to walk through it for centuries. Native American artifacts have even been found in the dirt here. If you have a flashlight, shine it up one of the holes in the cavern's ceiling; these shafts are actually the casts of ancient trees that were burned up as the lava solidified around it over 14 million years ago. Once past the cavern, a series of stairs will lead you out of the canyon and to the intersection with the Rim Trail and the Upper North Trail. The Rim Trail will take you back to the South Falls Day Use Area.

 North Falls

So if you're looking for a moderate day hike within an hour of Salem, check out the Canyon Trail at Silver Falls State Park. Until next time, get outside and and enjoy hiking on one of the many trails in the great Oregon Outdoors.

If you feel like doing the full Trail of Ten Falls, before taking the Rim Trail, hike the Upper North Falls Trail. Winter Falls can be seen with a side trip either from the canyon trail or the rim trail. The full Trail of Ten Falls is about 7 to 8 miles, depending on which way you want to go to Winter Falls. For those of you who to attempt the Trail of Ten Falls and succeed, there is a bumper sticker at the Nature Store that you can get to let everyone know that you survived the Trail of Ten Falls.