Tag: Silver Falls

Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls (Mt. Rainier) – 08/06/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 13, 2025
1 Comment on Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls (Mt. Rainier) – 08/06/2025

The arrival of rain showers Wednesday had led us to change our plans into a “Waterfall Wednesday”. Our plan was to visit four or five of Mount Rainier National Park’s waterfalls starting with Narada Falls. With the rain clouds overhead we got a little later start and arrived at the Narada Falls Trailhead just before 6:30am.

Located along the Paradise River a short trail drops 100′ in just over tenth of mile to a viewpoint of the 168′ waterfall.

Small cascade above Narada Falls.

The viewpoint below from the top of Narada Falls.

Paradise River

The trail down to the viewpoint. It is possible to connect to the Wonderland Trail a tenth of a mile from the viewpoint allowing for longer hikes to Reflection Lakes or the Longmire Area.

After visiting the viewpoint we returned to our car and continued driving four miles west on Paradise Valley Road to a pullout just before Van Trump Creek.

An even shorter trail here led to a viewpoint of Chrstine Falls.

There was no sign for the short, paved path.

The path dropped about 40′ in less than 100 yards to the viewpoint.

Christine Falls

After checking out Chrstine Falls we again traveled west on Paradise Valley Road to the Longmire Area. Here we planned for a more substantial hike to Carter and Madcap Falls along the Wonderland Trail. We could have followed the Wonderland Trail down from Narada Falls to visit these two falls but that was a much steeper section of the trail than coming up from below. This was our second time starting a hike from Longmire. In 2019 we did an excellent Fall hike to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground (post).

From Longmire we followed a pointer for the Wonderland Trail near the entrance road.

We followed this short 0.1-mile connector to the actual Wonderland Trail where we forked right.

In 2019 we had returned to Longmire via the left-hand fork.

The Wonderland Trail climbed gradually through the forest with occasional glimpses of the Nisqually River for 1.6-miles to the Carter Falls Trailhead.

Red huckleberries

Huckleberries

Starting at the Carter Falls Trailhead makes the hike to Carter and Madcap Falls 2.8-miles with 660′ of elevation gain. According to the Park’s construction schedule this TH was going be closed for repaving/striping on Wednesday, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

From the Carter Falls Trailhead the Wonderland Trail dropped down to the Nisqually River where it crossed on the river on a single log footbridge.

Fireweed

Heather was not a big fan of how swiftly and close the river was flowing to the bridge.

Beyond the bridge the trail continued to climb, but now it was following the Paradise River.

There was a relatively short but steep section along this old pipe.

The steps ahead meant that we were close to Carter Falls.

Carter Falls

A tenth of a mile beyond Carter Falls the trail arrives at Madcap Falls.

Madcap Falls

We declared victory at Madcap Falls and returned the way we’d come. We had thus far avoided any heavy showers and had just experienced a light mist for most of the morning. As we neared Longmire the rain did pick up but fortunately it wasn’t long before we were back in the car.

The bridge coming from the other directon.

The Paradise River joining the Nisqually River.

Arriving back at the short connector trail to Longmire.

This hike wound up being 6.2-miles with approximately 1000′ of elevation gain.

We headed back toward Packwood with one more possible stop. Since we weren’t entirely soaked and it was still before Noon we were hoping to find a parking spot at the Grove of the Patriarchs Trailhead so we could visit Silver Falls. (We originally had also been planning on visiting the Grove of the Patriarchs, a stand of giant old growth trees, but the suspension bridge leading to the grove is damaged and that hike is currently closed.)

The busy, but not full, Grove of the Patriarchs Trailhead.

From this trailhead we crossed Stevens Canyon Road following a pointer for the Eastside Trail.

Normally a 3-mile loop is possible here, but ongoing construction had closed part of the loop near the Ohanapecosh Campground.

It was raining less here than it had anywhere else all morning allowing for a nice hike down through a beautiful forest.

Foam flower

The Ohanapecosh River was spectacularly clear and colorful.

A spur to the left leads to an overlook, but the better view is from the far side of the bridge over the river.

Silver Falls from the overlook.

For the best view skip the overlook and head for the railed section of trail across the river ahead.

The Ohanapecosh River flowing away from the bridge.

Silver Falls

This was our favorite view just uphill from the bridge.

After admiring this amazing waterfall we headed back the way we’d come. This stop was 1.6-miles and 300′ of elevation gain giving us a total of 8.3-miles and 1550′ of total elevation gain on the day.

All five of these waterfalls were worthy of a visit and this was a perfect day for it. We returned to Packwood and after hanging up our gear to dry we went out for coffee and bakery items from The Mountain Goat Coffee Company which really hit the spot. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls

Tags Carter Falls, Christine Falls, hiking, Longmire, Madcap Falls, Mount Rainier National Park, Narada Falls, Nisqually River, Ohanapecosh River, Packwood WA, Paradise River, Silver Falls, The Mountain Goat Coffee Company, Washington, wonderland trail

Hiking Oregon Year-end wrap up

2022 Waterfalls

The 2022 hiking season wound up being full of waterfalls. That wasn’t necessarily the plan at the beginning of the year but when Heather’s season was cut short I wound up doing three waterfall filled hikes on top of several waterfall hikes we’d done earlier in the year. By the end of the year we’d seen 50+ named waterfalls and 20 unnamed cascades. That seems like enough to warrant a post so here are the waterfalls and cascades that we saw throughout the year.

Starting with the unnamed cascades were a pair of small drops near the Nehalem Divide Railroad Tunnel.

On that same hike we visited a seasonal fall just off the Crown Zellerbach Trail.

In April we saw a series of cascades along Silvas Creek from the Klickitat Trail

During a June hike to Black Hole Falls we passed three unnamed cascades on the North Fork Siouxon Trail.

The following week we passed a nice little fall on the North Umpqua River Trail heading to Lemolo Falls.

Our next notable unnamed cascade was below Devil’s Punchbowl in the Siskiyou Wilderness which we visited on July 2nd.

On July 12th we encountered an impressive split cascade in the Eagle Cap Wilderness on the way to Burger Pass along the Buck Creek Trail.

In August we saw a few unnamed falls/cascades starting with a little slide falls along Hemlock Creek.

Unnamed waterfall along Riley Creek in the Mt. Adams Wilderness

Unnamed waterfall below East Boulder Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

A September hike along Union Creek produced several unnamed cascades.

My October waterfalls hikes produced two unnamed cascades.
Cascade on Wahkeena Creek.

Small cascade along the North Fork Silver Creek.

The final unnamed cascade came on a chilly November hike along the Eagle Creek Trail beyond Seven Mile Falls.

Now for the named waterfalls (All names come from the Northwest Waterfall Survey.)
Mosier Creek Falls (post)

Black Hole Falls (post)

Highway 138 Waterfalls (post)
Susan Creek Falls

Toketee Falls

Surprise Falls

Columnar Falls

Watson Falls

Warm Springs Falls

Lemolo Falls

Alsea Falls Recreation Area (post)
Alsea Falls

Green Peak Falls

Hemlock Creek/Lake (post)
Yasko Falls

Hemlock Falls

Tributary Falls

Middle Hemlock Falls

Clover Falls

Grotto Falls

Wolf Creek and Fall Creek Falls (post)

Fall Creek Falls

Upper tier of Wolf Creek Falls

Lower tier of Wolf Creek Falls

South Umpqua Falls (post)

Union Creek Falls (post)

Chitwood Creek Falls

Larch Mountain Trail (post)
Multnomah Falls

Lower Dutchman Falls

Upper Dutchman Falls

Wiesendanger Falls

Ecola Falls

Fairy Falls

Wahkeena Falls

Silver Falls Perimeter Loop (post)
Upper North Falls

North Falls

Twin Falls

Winter Falls

Middle North Falls

Drake Falls

Double Falls

Lower North Falls

Lower South Falls

South Falls

Eagle Creek Trail (post)
Sorenson Falls

Metlako Falls

Lower Punchbowl Falls

Punchbowl Falls

Loowit Falls

Skoonichuck Falls

Four Mile Falls

Tenas Falls

Wy’East Falls

Grand Union Falls

Tunnel Falls

Twister Falls

Seven Mile Falls

Tags alsea falls, Eagle Creek, Grotto Falls, hiking, Lemolo Falls, Mosier Falls, Multnomah Falls, Oregon, Silver Falls, Tokatee Falls, Waterfalls, Watson Falls, Yasko Falls

Coastal Range Hiking Oregon Trip report

Golden and Silver Falls – 05/16/2021

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 22, 2021
1 Comment on Golden and Silver Falls – 05/16/2021

Our trip home from the southern Oregon coast was very different than our six stop drive that started our long weekend (post). We had only one stop planned at Golden and Silver Falls State Natural Area. Only 24 miles from Highway 101 in Coos Bay the park felt further removed due to the winding back country roads to the trailhead.

We started our morning off by heading for Golden Falls first. The trail led to a footbridge across Silver Creek and then forked.

We took the right hand Lower Trail first which followed Glenn Creek to the base of 254′ Golden Falls.

Rough skinned newt

Monkeyflower

Thimbleberry

Wren below Golden Falls

After exploring the area below Golden Falls we returned to the fork and turned onto the Upper Trail. This trail climbed for .4 miles to a switchback below 259′ Silver Falls.

Columbine

Ginger

Inside out flower

Iris

Anemone

20210516_074045

Ouzel

Marshall’s saxifrage

Beyond the switchback the trail continued to climb along an long abandoned road over half a mile to cliffs at the top of Golden Falls.

Plectritis

Manroot

Stonecrop

Upper portion of Golden Falls.

Glenn Creek above Golden Falls.

The trail petered out after a short distance so we turned back. As we began our hike back down blue skies emerged overhead.
Despite a cloudy morning they stayed high enough to not obstruct the view of the falls.

We returned to the trailhead where another car had joined ours and walked to the west end of the parking area to the Silver Falls Viewpoint Trail.

This .3 mile trail led to the base of Silver Falls across from the switchback.
Epic battle between a rock and a tree.

Pacific waterleaf

I was treated to a single ripe salmonberry along this stretch of trail. It didn’t survive long enough for a photo but I found another that was almost ripe.

Larkspur

Ouzel (might be the same one as earlier)

We did some more exploring around the base of the falls before saying goodbye and heading back to our car.

At 4 miles this was a perfect hike to end our trip on, even with 4 more hours of driving we made it home around 1:30pm giving us plenty of time to unpack and get ready for the work week ahead. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Golden and Silver Falls

Tags Glenn Creek, Golden and Silver Falls, Golden and Silver Falls State Natural Area, Golden Falls, hiking, Oregon, Ouzel, Silver Creek, Silver Falls

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Silver Falls State Park

It’s been a while since we’ve had a recent trip report to post but we finally took our March hike on Heather’s birthday. We are in the midst of training for the Corvallis Half-Marathon so we were looking for something on the shorter end and without too much elevation gain. After our first plan was scrapped due to our most recent snowfall we turned to – Silver Falls State Park. We had done this hike a couple of times in the past before starting the blog. In fact our first visit to the park happened on a hot day in August, before we had started hiking, and resulted in us thinking we might die of heat stroke causing us to be unable to visit all the waterfalls. We returned slightly more prepared in July of 2006 and completed the hike which we consider our first true hike. We went back once again on 7/30/2010 when Dominique chose this hike as his pick during our vacation that year.

It turns out we were there a little early. The posted hours for the day use areas were 8am to 8pm which hadn’t been clear on the park website and the entrance to the South Falls day use area was still gated so we began our hike at the North Falls Trailhead.

There is a $5 day use fee which we attempted to pay but the envelope box had been removed, presumably for the night, so after filling out an envelope we left the stub on our dash along with a note that the box was not in place so we would drop our payment off on the way out. With that taken care of we took a footbridge over North Fork Silver Creek and followed a pointer for Upper North Falls.

Sign for Upper North Falls

The trail immediately passed under Highway 214 then in a quarter mile brought us to the 65′ Upper North Falls.

Upper North Falls

After admiring the fall we returned the way we’d come and after passing back under the highway faced a choice at a junction. To the left the Rim Trail headed uphill and would follow the highway along the canyon rim to the South Falls Day Use area while the right hand fork would lead us on a longer trek through the canyon and the other waterfalls.
Trail junction in Silver Falls State Park

The question was did we want to end with the more scenic trail through the canyon or start with the canyon figuring that there would be fewer people on the trails earlier in the morning. The prospect of fewer people won out and we took the Canyon Trail along the creek (please note dogs are banned on the Canyon Trail). Not far from the junction the trail descends past a sign for North Falls and passes under basalt overhangs.

Trail to North Falls

North Falls came into view as we descended some stairs before turning back towards the falls and ultimately passing them.

North Falls

View from behind North Falls

The water was roaring as it crashed down into the splash pool. It was a stark difference from our July 2010 visit.
North Falls
July 30, 2010

North Falls March 29, 2018

The trail was now on the north side of the creek and remained fairly level for over a mile as it passed through the canyon. We spotted quite a few flowers starting to bloom along this stretch.
North Fork Silver Creek

Toothwort

Skunk cabbage

Salmonberry blossoms Salmonberry

Blossoms along North Fork Silver Creek Indian plum

The next waterfall up on the Trail of Ten Falls was 31′ Twin Falls.
Sign for Twin Falls

Twin Falls

A short distance from Twin Falls (and about 1.5 miles from the North Falls Trailhead) we came to a junction with the Winter Falls Trail.
Footbridge over North Fork Silver Creek

The half mile Winter Falls Trail starts at the Winter Falls Trailhead along Highway 214 passing Winter Falls and ending at the Canyon Trail. We turned left onto a footbridge crossing North Fork Silver Creek and headed for Winter Falls.
Footbridge over North Fork Silver Creek

The trail was fairly level as it led to the 134′ waterfall.
Winter Falls

Winter Falls

Later in the year Winter Falls all but dries up so this was the first time we’d gotten to see this waterfall.

After checking this fall off our list we returned to the Canyon Trail and continued downstream toward Middle North Falls.
Sign for Middle North Falls

In just .2 miles we came to the side trail down to Middle North Falls.

Here there was another opportunity to go behind the waterfall.
Middle North Falls

Trail behind Middle North Falls

View from behind Middle North Falls

The side trail continued on the far side of the fall wrapping around the canyon to a great view of the cascade.
Middle North Falls

Middle North Falls

After oohing and ahhing at this waterfall we returned to the Canyon Trail which also had several nice views of this fall. Of all the waterfalls on this hike this one was probably the most visibly different from our previous visits.
Middle North Falls July 7, 2006

Middle North Falls July 30, 2010

Middle North Falls March 29, 2018

A little downstream from Middle North Falls we came to a viewing platform above little Drake Falls.

Drake Falls

Less than a half mile from the Winter Falls Trail junction we arrived at another junction. This time with a very short spur trail to Double Falls.
Sign for Double Falls

Here again the difference in water volume was very apparent.
Double Falls

Double Falls July 7, 2006

Double Falls July 30, 2010

Double Falls March 29, 2018

Just beyond the spur trail to Double Falls the Canyon Trail passed 30′ Lower North Falls.

Lower North Falls

After the flurry of waterfalls in the three quarters of a mile between Twin Falls and Lower North Falls things settled down. The trail continued on the north side of the creek for about a quarter of a mile before crossing over on a footbridge.
Footbridge over North Fork Silver Creek

The trail then stayed on the south side of the creek passing an unnamed seasonal waterfall.
North Fork Silver Creek

Unnamed waterfall in Silver Falls State Park

The trail soon veered away from North Fork Silver Creek and a mile from the spur trail to Double Falls we arrived at a junction with the Maple Ridge Trail.
Maple Ridge Trail junction

The Maple Ridge Trail allows for a shorter loop option if you start at the South Falls Day Use Area but that loop only passes three waterfalls. It was however our escape route on our first visit when the heat of August and our lack of carrying water forced us to abandon our attempt at the full loop. The Canyon Trail here rejoined a creek but not the North Fork Silver Creek. This was now the South Fork Silver Creek. A short distance upstream we came to Lower South Falls.

Lower South Falls

Lower South Falls is another that the trail passes behind but before we headed behind the water a varied thrush landed on a branch just a few feet from us. I’ve mentioned before that these birds are my nemesis as I can rarely get a decent photo of one. This guy was no exception, despite his sitting on the branch for a good 15 seconds or more I could not get the camera to focus on him.
Varied Thrush at Lower South Falls

Having failed to get a clear picture of the bird we headed behind the waterfall and out the other side.
Lower South Falls

View from behind Lower South Falls

Lower South Falls

Again the difference in the appearance from our previous visits to this waterfall was obvious.
Lower South Falls July 7, 2006

Lower South Falls July 30, 2010

Lower South Falls March 29, 2018

Another series of stairs climbed up above Lower South Falls which was probably the most strenuous part of the hike. The trail then leveled out again for about a mile before arriving at South Falls.
South Fork Silver Creek

South Falls

A footbridge over the creek below the falls allows for a short loop from the day use area. We passed by the footbridge opting to pass behind this waterfall as well.
South Falls

South Falls

View from behind South Falls

A comparison of our visits shows the difference that the timing of a visit makes.
South Falls July 30, 2010

South Falls March 29, 2018

Doing the loop in the direction we’d chosen made South Falls the 10th of the 10 waterfalls along the Trail of Ten Falls but that didn’t mean it was the last waterfall we’d visit on the hike. That honor went to Frenchie Falls. A sign part way up the trail from South Falls pointed toward this little fall.
Sign for Frenchie Falls

Even at this time of the year it wasn’t much more than a wisp of water and it lacks a good vantage point but it’s a named fall none the less.
Frenchie Falls

After checking out Frenchie Falls we completed the climb out of the canyon to a viewpoint above South Falls.
Plaque above South Falls

Looking down from the top of South Falls

We then looped around a picnic area and into the South Falls Historic District.

South Falls Lodge

Nature Store

Here we passed the cafe, store and theater before arriving at a junction with the start of the Maple Ridge and Rim Trails.
Rim and Maple Ridge Trails

We followed the Rim Trail through a picnic area and into the forest.

Rim Trail

The last of the winter snow was melting as the first of the spring flowers were coming to life.
Snow along the Rim Trail

Violet

The Rim Trail passed through the Winter Falls Trailhead parking but offered no views of the waterfall. The only real view of any of the falls came near the end of the 2.1 mile trail when North Falls was visible down in the canyon below.
North Falls from the Rim Trail

The pay box was in place at the trailhead (which was now full of cars) so we dropped off our $5 before driving back home. With all of our previous visits having come during the summer months it was great to visit when the water levels were higher. A few more weeks will bring out the flowers adding to the beauty of this hike. Happy Trails!

Flickr: 2018
2010
2006