Known as the crown jewel of Oregon state parks, silver parks has over 9000 acres to explore. The number one trail is the 8.7 mile Trail of Ten Falls. As the name implies, it passes by, under or around 10 different waterfalls. The largest of which is south falls standing at 270 feet. The smallest, just 35 feet. The trail is well marked and easy with only a little elevation and a few lose rocks here and there. It’s a delightful way to spend a few hours. I opted to spend the night at the campground in a tent.
For $30 you get a very nice, fairly private tent space along with fire pit and picnic table. The main road is paved, the spots are level and the bathrooms plentiful. The nice thing is that each shower is a private lockable room to itself to. They also offer cabins around $60 and RV sites with full hook ups. By campground standards there are loads of trees for shade and privacy and it feels very well maintained. It’s easy to book both online ahead of time and in person on the day of via a kiosk. The rangers will come around and put a tag on your car which acts as your pass to visit the day use hiking area. If you don’t have a state parks pass this will save you $5. The best part is how close you are to the hike. You can walk the extra mile to the trailhead or simply drive. I arrived in the later afternoon snd took advantage of a warm day to explore Abiqua falls just 30 minutes up the road.
This waterfall is not considered part of the park and doesn’t charge a fee either. It is, however, more difficult to find and I thank the comments section on AllTrails for directing me. You will see a sign that states pavement ending and see a large brown sign, turn right onto this lumber road and when you come to a Y turn right again, and again at the next Y. If you don’t have a 4 wheel drive with higher clearance consider stopping at the second parking area you see and walk a few extra miles from there. If you have higher clearance drove until you don’t feel like your car will continue or, if you’re lucky, to the trailhead. I have an SUV and felt ok driving to within a mile or so of the trailhead. The trail begins to the left and you’ll see a sign stating private property but ok for recreational use. You again have choices to go left or right on this trail and I went left. There were two sections with ropes. The second I had to make use of the ropes to prevent going down on my butt and I noticed others not as fortunate. Once you reach the river you will be scrambling a semblance of a trail that is mostly walking either in the river or over numerous rocks. It’s worth it because the end of this 0.7 mile trail is a beautiful basalt column amphitheater with a bountiful fall. The rest of the trail is beautiful as well.
Once I’d taken a bunch of photographs I made my way back up. I definitely needed the ropes and a little time to make my heart stop beating out of my chest for the ascent. It’s very steep and involves climbing over fallen trees. This trail is not for the weak. After the initial climb the trail back to the car is a fairly gradual uphill that’s mostly shaded. This one is worth a detour from the state park.
I made it to my campsite before sunset, set up my tent, ate and showered. I woke just after sunrise to get to the south falls trailhead early on a Friday morning. I was the fourth car in the lot. Three hours later the lot was completely full including several school buses. There are plenty of picnic tables in both sun and shade, several bathrooms, a lodge serving hot food and a nature store. I had a little picnic in the shade before driving home. The trail is pretty well marked and you can just wander around staying in either the south or north loops. I began with the south and explored these astounding waterfalls from many angles. There were times I was able to climb some rocks to step into the river and just listen to the babbling brook and taking in the peaceful morning days of sun.
Despite it being such a popular hike I never really heard or saw many other hikers until much later in the day. So definitely go early for the peace and quiet.
It really is amazing behind able to walk behind these behemoth falls and in photos it is hard to get an idea of how truly massive the caves behind them really are.
The green is vibrant and every nook and cranny of this beautiful space is bubbling with life.
The water here runs cold and crystal clear. At one spot where I chose to dip my toes into the water I did find a crayfish walking about, although I didn’t see any fish or frogs. This place is truly an adult (and family) playground in the Pacific Northwest. The same basalt columns can be found in the rocks in this park as well.
If you’re in the area, near Eugene or Salem, you really should add this half day trip to your must see list.
Eating Around 