Silver Falls State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver Falls State Park |
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South Falls
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| Type | Public, state |
| Location | Marion County, Oregon |
| Nearest city | Silverton |
| Operated by | Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |
Silver Falls State Park is a beautiful state park in Oregon. It's located near Silverton, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Salem. This park is the biggest state park in Oregon, covering more than 9,000 acres (36 km²).
The park has over 24 miles (39 km) of walking trails, 14 miles (23 km) of horse trails, and a 4-mile (6.4 km) bike path. Its most famous path is the 8.7-mile (14.0 km) Canyon Trail, also known as the "Trail of Ten Falls." This trail follows Silver Creek and passes by ten amazing waterfalls, which is how the park got its name! What's really cool is that you can walk behind four of these waterfalls because the trail goes through natural cave-like areas.
The most popular waterfall in the park is South Falls, which drops 177 feet (54 m). But the tallest one is Double Falls, hidden deep inside a canyon. It plunges 178 feet (54 m)! Silver Falls State Park has also hosted "star parties" where people can come to look at the night sky with telescopes.
Contents
Park History
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Silver Falls State Park Concession Building Area
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Silver Falls Lodge
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| Nearest city | Sublimity, Oregon |
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| Built | 1934 |
| Architect | J. Elwood Isted |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002164 |
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Silver Creek Youth Camp – Silver Falls State Park
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| Nearest city | Sublimity, Oregon |
| Built | 1936 |
| Architect | Keith R. Maguire, Jr. |
| Architectural style | National Park Service rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000673 |
| Added to NRHP | June 20, 2002 |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1983 |
Long ago, in 1888, a small town called Silver Falls City was built here. It was mainly a place for logging, where people cut down trees. As the land was cleared, someone even started charging money to see the waterfalls! They would do wild stunts like pushing cars over the falls or having a daredevil ride over in a canoe.
In 1902, a photographer named June D Drake started trying to make the area a park. He used his amazing photos of the waterfalls to get people to support the idea. Later, one of the waterfalls, Drake Falls, was named after him. However, in 1926, an inspector from the National Park Service said no to making it a national park. This was because there were too many ugly tree stumps left from all the logging.
Things changed in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided the Silver Falls area would become a "Recreational Demonstration Area." This meant the government bought the logged land. Workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) then helped build park facilities. The historic South Falls Lodge, finished in the late 1930s, was one of these buildings. It was a restaurant for many years and is now listed as a historic place. The Silver Creek Youth Camp is also a historic site.
How the Canyon Formed
The amazing canyon at Silver Falls State Park started forming about 26 million years ago! Back then, most of Oregon was covered by the ocean. Around 15 million years ago, huge flows of hot lava, called flood basalt, covered the old ocean floor.
Over time, the softer rock layers under the hard lava slowly wore away. This created the pathways behind some of the waterfalls. The CCC workers later made these paths wider and safer for visitors. You might also see "tree chimneys" in the park. These formed when hot lava surrounded living trees, and the trees later rotted away, leaving tree-shaped holes in the rock.
Waterfalls of Silver Falls
Silver Falls State Park is famous for its many waterfalls! Ten of them are along the popular Trail of Ten Falls. There are also five more waterfalls below where the North and South forks of Silver Creek meet. The Trail of Ten Falls lets you walk behind South Falls, Lower South Falls, Middle North Falls, and North Falls.
| Waterfall | Image | Distance on trail | Coordinates | Stream | Height |
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| South Falls* | .jpg){kind=small} |
0.0 | 44°52′44″N 122°39′32″W / 44.8788°N 122.6589°W | South Fork | 177 feet (54 m) |
| Lower South Falls* |  |
0.8 | 44°53′07″N 122°39′39″W / 44.8853°N 122.6609°W | South Fork | 93 feet (28 m) |
| (Confluence of N. & S. Forks) | 1.1 | Silver Creek | (N/A) | ||
| Lower North Falls* |  |
2.1 | 44°53′29″N 122°38′47″W / 44.8914°N 122.6464°W | North Fork | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| Double Falls* |  |
2.1 + 0.1 on side trail | 44°53′31″N 122°38′42″W / 44.8920°N 122.6450°W | Hullt Creek | 178 feet (54 m) |
| Drake Falls* |  |
2.3 | 44°53′24″N 122°38′46″W / 44.89°N 122.6461°W | North Fork | 27 feet (8.2 m) |
| Middle North Falls* |  |
2.5 | 44°53′19″N 122°38′35″W / 44.8886°N 122.6431°W | North Fork | 106 feet (32 m) |
| Winter Falls* |  |
2.7 + 0.5 on side trail | 44°53′04″N 122°38′27″W / 44.8844°N 122.6408°W | Winter Creek | 134 feet (41 m) |
| Twin Falls* | .jpg) |
3.0 | 44°53′07″N 122°38′13″W / 44.8852°N 122.6370°W | North Fork | 31 feet (9.4 m) |
| North Falls* | _(marDA0136).jpg) |
3.9 | 44°53′06″N 122°37′22″W / 44.8849°N 122.6227°W | North Fork | 136 feet (41 m) |
| Upper North Falls* | .jpg) |
4.6 | 44°52′59″N 122°36′51″W / 44.8831°N 122.6142°W | North Fork | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Crag Falls | 1.1 + ? below confluence | Silver Creek | 12 feet (3.7 m) | ||
| Elbow Falls | 1.1 + ? below confluence | Silver Creek | 20 feet (6.1 m) | ||
| Canyon Falls | 1.1 + ? below confluence | Silver Creek | 10 feet (3.0 m) | ||
| Lisp Falls | 1.1 + ? below confluence | Silver Creek | 5 feet (1.5 m) | ||
| Sunlight Falls | 1.1 + ? below confluence | Silver Creek | 5 feet (1.5 m) | ||
| Frenchie Falls | (just before start of trail) | Frenchie Creek | 48 feet (15 m) | ||
| Trickle Falls | (3.5 above start of trail) | Tributary of S. Fork | ? |
Park Climate
The weather at Silver Falls State Park is usually cooler and wetter than in nearby towns. It has a "warm-summer Mediterranean climate." This means it has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
| Climate data for Silver Falls State Park, Oregon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
75 (24) |
80 (27) |
85 (29) |
96 (36) |
108 (42) |
101 (38) |
103 (39) |
98 (37) |
89 (32) |
72 (22) |
75 (24) |
108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 51.5 (10.8) |
55.6 (13.1) |
62.7 (17.1) |
71.1 (21.7) |
79.9 (26.6) |
83.3 (28.5) |
89.1 (31.7) |
89.1 (31.7) |
83.7 (28.7) |
70.1 (21.2) |
56.8 (13.8) |
51.5 (10.8) |
92.6 (33.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.7 (5.9) |
45.4 (7.4) |
49.8 (9.9) |
54.7 (12.6) |
62.8 (17.1) |
67.6 (19.8) |
76.3 (24.6) |
76.1 (24.5) |
70.1 (21.2) |
57.8 (14.3) |
47.1 (8.4) |
41.6 (5.3) |
57.7 (14.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 37.7 (3.2) |
39.2 (4.0) |
41.9 (5.5) |
45.8 (7.7) |
52.4 (11.3) |
56.7 (13.7) |
63.2 (17.3) |
63.0 (17.2) |
57.9 (14.4) |
49.1 (9.5) |
41.5 (5.3) |
37.1 (2.8) |
48.8 (9.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.7 (0.4) |
32.9 (0.5) |
34.0 (1.1) |
36.9 (2.7) |
42.0 (5.6) |
45.8 (7.7) |
50.2 (10.1) |
49.9 (9.9) |
45.8 (7.7) |
40.5 (4.7) |
35.9 (2.2) |
32.5 (0.3) |
39.9 (4.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 23.1 (−4.9) |
23.3 (−4.8) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
42.4 (5.8) |
42.1 (5.6) |
36.8 (2.7) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) |
3 (−16) |
10 (−12) |
19 (−7) |
22 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
32 (0) |
29 (−2) |
23 (−5) |
18 (−8) |
2 (−17) |
−4 (−20) |
−4 (−20) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 8.83 (224) |
8.37 (213) |
8.09 (205) |
6.43 (163) |
4.40 (112) |
2.96 (75) |
0.66 (17) |
0.80 (20) |
2.27 (58) |
5.51 (140) |
9.39 (239) |
11.21 (285) |
68.92 (1,751) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.5 (6.4) |
3.0 (7.6) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
3.1 (7.9) |
10.9 (27.7) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.3 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 14.4 | 10.1 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 10.1 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 113.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 3.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Wildfires in the Park
Silver Falls State Park has experienced wildfires, which are natural events in forests.
- In July 2020, a fire started in the eastern part of the park. It grew to 27 acres but was mostly put out quickly. The park stayed open for visitors to see the falls, but the campgrounds were closed for a short time. People think this fire started from a lightning strike that had been smoldering for about a month.
- In September 2020, a very large fire called the Beachie Creek Fire reached the edges of the park. Luckily, the wind changed direction, and firefighters were able to stop it. This was one of the biggest fires in Oregon's history.
Other fires that have happened in the park's history include:
- 1865: The Silverton Fire, the largest known fire in Oregon's history, burned a million acres, including the Silver Falls area.
- 1886: A big forest fire destroyed much of the forest where the park is now.
- 1925: A destructive forest fire happened near House Mountain.
- 1928: The South Burn, another forest fire, damaged the Silver Falls area.
Friends of Silver Falls
Since the park was created in 1933, volunteers have helped take care of Silver Falls. In 1986, a group called the "Friends of Silver Falls State Park, Inc." was formed. Their goal is to help visitors learn more about the park, protect its history and nature, and improve the park for everyone.
Thanks to this group of volunteers working with the park staff, the nearly one million people who visit each year have a much better experience. The Friends help with things that state park funding alone can't cover.
Since 1992, volunteers from the Friends of Silver Falls State Park have run the Nature Store inside the historic South Falls Lodge. This store sells books, clothes, and souvenirs related to nature. The group has also created many of the signs that explain things along the Trail of Ten Falls.
The Friends also want to collect stories from people who remember the park from a long time ago. They work to keep the history of Silver Falls City alive and remember the important work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and 1940s. They also help maintain the park's historic buildings and continue to put up helpful signs throughout the park's more than 9,000 acres (36 km²).
Silver Falls in Movies
Silver Falls State Park is so beautiful that it has been used as a filming location for several movies!
- The 1981 horror film Just Before Dawn was filmed entirely in the park.
- It was also a location for William Friedkin's thriller The Hunted (2003).
- And you might recognize it from the popular movie Twilight (2008)!
