Hopefully you're not tired of all these fall color posts, because I have one more that I really want to share. Besides the Columbia River Gorge, my other favorite local place to see autumn color is Silver Falls State Park. Not only does this outstanding state park boast numerous beautiful waterfalls, it also puts on one the best leaf color shows of the season.
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| Brilliant vine maple leaves |
Silver Falls State Park's claim to fame is it's waterfalls. Silver Creek winds through a deep basalt canyon, providing several steps for the water to drop off. The park boasts a "Trail of Ten Falls" hike that takes visitors past ten cascades in a little over 7 miles.
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| An explosion of color |
In my opinion, mid to late October is the very best time to visit this spectacular park. Autumn colors are usually peaking and sometimes early season rainfall has the waterfalls running full. Plentiful maple trees explode into a frenzy of yellows and oranges, lining the canyon with dazzling hues. An annual fall visit is almost always on my schedule.
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| South Falls |
In late October, I rallied my buddy Kim to join me for a jaunt to check things out. Because the leaves photograph better under overcast skies, I picked a day that was supposed to be cloudy with possible rain. However, when I pulled into the parking lot, I was dismayed to see sunshine streaming from between the trees.
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| Following the trail behind South Falls |
Ugh - bright sunlight creates harsh shadows and the contrast between bright white waterfalls and the surrounding landscape makes it difficult to get the proper exposure. But I was here and the leaf color was popping, so I'd have to do the best I could.
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| South Falls and its rocky amphitheater |
Kim, who had never hiked here in autumn, was more than thrilled to see the vibrant leaf color show. The foliage surrounding the parking lot always sports some of the best vine maple colors in the entire area. I especially loved the bright red hues. Although I take copious photos here every year, I couldn't resist adding a few more to my catalog. From the parking lot, we walked over to a viewpoint of South Falls. However, the contrast between sun and shadow was so great I didn't take many photos from this viewpoint.
At 177 feet South Falls had the distinction of being the second tallest waterfall in the park. Sadly, a dry fall season thus far had its normal healthy flow reduced to a trickle.
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| Yellow leaves along Silver Creek |
From the top of the canyon, Kim and I followed a trail that took us to creek level. One great thing about the trails here, they led visitors behind several of these stunning cascades. The path circled around South Falls' wide, rocky amphitheater, before ducking right behind the falls itself. I enjoyed this unique perspective behind its watery curtain. So cool to watch this water stream tumbling down right in front of our faces!
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| Lower South Falls |
From South Falls, Kim and I wandered along a trail paralleling Silver Creek. Lots of bright yellow maple leaves decorated our path. Progress was rather slow, as there was always a lovely scene to capture with my camera.
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| This section of the trail was gorgeous! |
About a mile from South Falls, we switchbacked down a steep trail that led us to the foot of Lower South Falls, the next waterfall on our day's agenda. At 93 feet in height, it wasn't as tall as grand South Falls, but just as stunning. I loved how the water spilled artistically onto the rocks directly below its stream. And just like South Falls, we could also walk behind this cascade.
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| Green ferns |
From Lower South Falls, we sauntered another mile through quiet woods all the while following charming Silver Creek. The surrounding forest was ablaze with yellow color, the mossy tree branches reaching out like ghostly arms. Bright green ferns lined our path.
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| Lower North Falls |
The next waterfall on our tour was tiny Lower North Falls. At only 30 feet in height, it was often overlooked by people walking the loop trail. But surrounded by brilliant orange leaves with a mossy log draped across its water stream, I thought this cascade was most photogenic. The sky had clouded up by then, and the even light made for perfect conditions to capture its beauty. As a matter of fact, the above image was one of my favorites from the day.
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| Middle North Falls was just a trickle |
From Lower North Falls, Kim and I made a side trip to check out Double Falls. At 178 feet it has the distinction of being the tallest waterfall in Silver Falls State Park (by only one foot over South Falls!) However, its location at the end of a narrow canyon makes photography difficult, so we didn't linger long - and I took only one really crummy image that I'm not going to include here.
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| Colorful trees atop Middle N. Falls |
Down the trail again, now heading for my favorite cascade in Silver Falls State Park - Middle North Falls. This waterfall normally had a wide, fan-shaped stream that draped across a tall basalt cliff. However, I was sad to see this cascade was also a victim of the dry autumn season, its lovely, wide fan reduced to one narrow stream. Still pretty, but not as stunning as usual.
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| Lots of leaves on the ground |
Middle North Falls was also a walk-behind cascade, so of course Kim and I took the side trail to get a glimpse of the view behind its narrow stream. At 106 feet in height, this waterfall was also respectably tall.
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| Touches of yellow and orange |
Although I would've loved to visit all ten of the waterfalls along the "Trail of Ten Falls," by the time we'd finished with Middle North Falls it was midafternoon and we still had a good two mile jaunt if we took the short loop back to the parking lot. Kim and I had taken a lot of time walking the 3.5 miles we'd covered so far. The scenery was so fabulous there had been numerous photo stops and they'd all added up. So I decided to bypass the final three waterfalls and head back.
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| Huge, mossy trees |
The hike out of the canyon was as stunning as the rest of the trail had been. More tall, mossy-branched, bright yellow maples dominated the forest. After passing wispy Winter Falls, its flow barely a trickle, we climbed a short, but steep path out of the canyon. Then Kim and I traveled on a trail along the canyon rim until we reached the lodge and South Falls viewing area once again, closing a nearly 6-mile loop.
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| Some tree branches looked like ghostly arms |
That morning's bright sunlight had foiled my plans to get photos of South Falls surrounded by colorful trees from the upper viewing area. But now late in the afternoon, clouds dominated the sky, making for even light. I couldn't pass up this second chance to get some better images of South Falls. Kim, who was tired from the day's trek decided to hang out at the lodge while I returned to the viewpoint. So back I went - and now the light was perfect for both capturing the waterfall and nearby golden trees. After I'd set up my tripod, a man walked into my shot and lingered below on the path for quite a long time. Tired of waiting for him to move, I included the guy in my images. And as it turned out I kind of liked it - he gives the viewer a sense of perspective.
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| South Falls from the viewing area |
Kim and I spent an entire day, until nearly 5:00, hiking the trails of Silver Falls State Park. Although we didn't get to all ten waterfalls, we did see seven of the ten, so that's not bad. A worthwhile day spent savoring the beauty of nature in a truly spectacular area. We both came away with lots of stunning images of the vibrant fall leaf colors and scenic waterfalls. A truly memorable day!
(Oh and in my next few posts, I'll finally get back to the present time and show you what I've been up to lately.)
