Silver Cascade Falls is a 160-foot series of tiered falls and cascades in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. It pours down a broad, polished granite face just above Helen Hunt Falls, and a short, steep trail from the Helen Hunt Falls Visitor Center climbs to its top.
The falls
Lidar data documents a string of falls and cascades dropping about 160 feet in total, whereas earlier surveys listed 200 feet as a single drop. An upturn in the rock about 50 feet below the crest forms a spout that throws the stream more than 10 feet out from the face during high water. The water comes down from Buffalo Canyon, passing St. Mary's Falls upstream, and joins North Cheyenne Creek below Helen Hunt Falls.
Getting there
Park at the Helen Hunt Falls Visitor Center, 2.5 miles up North Cheyenne Canyon Road; buses, RVs and oversized vehicles are not allowed. Park roads closed to vehicles after storm damage in June 2026 and reopened in early July once repairs were completed. From the lot, the Silver Cascade Trail crosses above Helen Hunt Falls and climbs about 0.3 mile to the top of the falls, rising from about 7,225 to 7,400 feet. Hikers should not go past the plaza into the closed-off section of Gold Camp Road. Details are on the city's park page.
When to go
The park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May through October and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from November through April. The visitor center is staffed daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In winter the trail can freeze over.
On site
The granite at the top of the falls is polished, slippery and much steeper than it looks, making footing slick when wet or icy. In July 2013, a teenager was rescued after falling about 50 feet from the Buffalo Canyon Trail and landing partway up the falls; visitors must stay on the trail and off the rock face. Dogs are allowed on leash, and portable toilets are available at Helen Hunt Falls. There is no cell reception in the canyon.
Nearby
Helen Hunt Falls is about 0.1 mile away, at the trailhead. Josephine Falls is about 0.7 mile away, Saint Marys Falls is about 1.3 miles away, and Seven Falls is about 1.4 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.