South Falls is a 177-foot plunge waterfall on South Silver Creek in Silver Falls State Park, Marion County, Oregon. A short loop from the South Falls Day-use Area leads down to the falls and behind the curtain of water. It is one of the stops on the Canyon Trail, the route of the park's Trail of Ten Falls.
The falls
South Silver Creek leaps from an overhanging basalt cliff into an amphitheater, dropping 177 feet in a single plunge. The trail runs through the recess behind the falls, passing molds left by trees engulfed in lava; it is one of four falls in the park where the path passes behind the water.
Getting there
The South Falls Day-use Area is off Highway 214. A 1-mile South Falls loop goes behind the falls and returns across the bridge below them. The full Trail of Ten Falls loop covers 7.2 miles with 800 feet of elevation change.
Parking in Silver Falls State Park costs $10 per vehicle for Oregon residents and $12 for nonresidents in 2026; Oregon state park passes and camping receipts are accepted. Gates open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in September, with shorter hours from October through March.
When to go
The creek runs year-round, with November through May offering the strongest flow from winter and spring runoff, while summer brings reduced volume.
On site
The park closes the water within 300 feet above and below its waterfalls, keeping the plunge pool off limits; a designated unsupervised swimming area is elsewhere in the South Falls Day-use Area. Pets are prohibited on the Canyon Trail, and canyon routes feature steep sections unsuitable for strollers.
The cliff edge is deadly. In August 2026 a 20-year-old who entered a closed area to take photographs fell about 177 feet from the top of South Falls and died, as documented by Oregon State Police. Stay out of closed areas near the rim.
History and name
Local waterfall naming has been linked to photographer June Drake in the late 1880s, with South Falls drawing its name from South Silver Creek.
Nearby
Frenchie Falls is about 0.1 mile away, Lower South Falls is 0.5 mile downstream on South Silver Creek, and Winter Falls and Middle North Falls are each about 1 mile away.
Distances are straight-line.