Silver Falls State Park is known as the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Park System. It has been a state park since 1933, most famous for its incredible waterfalls. The Trail of Ten Waterfalls is a 7.2 mile strenuous loop taking hikers next to (and sometimes even behind) a total of ten amazing waterfalls. You can take shortcuts to see some of the waterfalls, not needing to do the entire hike. These waterfalls were formed as a result of Oregon being under the ocean tens of millions of years ago. After the ocean subsided it was covered by a layer of basalt, which is resistant to erosion compared to the lower layer of oceanic sandstone. The sandstone erosion has created a space underneath the basalt for people to awe at the power of water and the magic of geology. Today we walked to South Falls, where you can walk behind the 177 foot waterfall and actually see what the backside of water looks like.
Twice in the 1920s and 1930s agents from the National Park Service were invited here to see if this state park could become a national park but it was denied both times, the issue… logging. The agent wrote, “if the region were still virgin there is no doubt that their merit would warrant very careful consideration as to national park value, but unfortunately the region has heard the sound of the axe for many years. Worse, there are large areas of stark stumpage staring one in the face from every angle.” Since it was been protected for almost a century it is now dense, lush, and very green. It definitely does not look like it has ever ‘heard the sound of the axe’.
