Drake Falls is a 27-foot sliding cascade on North Silver Creek in Silver Falls State Park, Marion County, Oregon. It lies on the Canyon Trail, the route of the park's Trail of Ten Falls, between Middle North Falls and Lower North Falls, and is viewed from a small deck beside the trail.
The falls
North Silver Creek slides down a steep basalt slope inside a narrow gorge. The waterfall forms a steep sliding cascade: a single 27-foot drop at about 50 degrees over a run of 55 feet, averaging 10 feet wide and spreading to 35 feet in high water. The stream averages about 100 cubic feet per second for eight months of the year and roughly 15 in the dry months.
Getting there
The shortest approach starts at the Winter Falls trailhead on Highway 214: hikers take the Winter Creek trail about half a mile down to the Canyon Trail, then continue roughly one-third of a mile downstream past Middle North Falls to the viewing deck. Drake Falls is also visited along the full Trail of Ten Falls, a 7.2-mile loop with 800 feet of elevation change that the park rates moderate.
Parking in Silver Falls State Park costs $10 per vehicle for Oregon residents and $12 for out-of-state visitors in 2026; campground permits are accepted, while federal recreation passes are not. After trail closures earlier in 2026, park officials reported in late May that only the Canyon Trail segment between Twin Falls and the Rim Trail near North Falls remained closed, an area located upstream of this route.
When to go
The creek runs all year. November through May brings the strongest flow.
On site
The gorge confines the view to the deck, and a small tree beside it keeps the falls from being seen completely clear. Pets and bicycles are not allowed on the Canyon Trail or the Winter Trail.
History and name
The falls honor June Drake, the photographer who named the park's waterfalls in the late 1880s.
Nearby
Lower North Falls on North Silver Creek and Double Falls on Hullt Creek are each about 0.1 mile away, Middle North Falls is 0.2 mile upstream, and Winter Falls on Winter Creek is 0.5 mile away along the same trail network.
Distances are straight-line.