Upper North Falls is a 65-foot curtain waterfall on North Silver Creek in Silver Falls State Park, Marion County, Oregon. It is the uppermost waterfall on the creek, a short walk upstream from the North Falls parking area, and the park welcomes leashed dogs on the trail to it.
The falls
North Silver Creek has worn away part of the basalt bedrock here and spills over the ledge in a single vertical sheet into a large pool. The creek's drop was re-surveyed and measured in 2017 at 65 feet, the same figure the park uses. The curtain averages about 30 feet wide and spreads to around 60 feet when the creek is high. Flow runs about 100 cubic feet per second for eight months of the year and about 15 for the other four.
Getting there
Start at the North Falls parking area on Highway 214. Cross the footbridge and head upstream rather than down the Canyon Trail; the falls are roughly a third of a mile away, on the upstream side of the highway. A short trail leads to the base of the falls.
Parking in Silver Falls State Park costs $10 per vehicle for Oregon residents and $12 for nonresidents. Oregon state park day-use and annual passes, camping receipts and extra-vehicle permits are accepted; Northwest Forest Passes and federal passes are not.
When to go
The creek runs all year. At higher water the curtain broadens considerably across the ledge; low flow lasts about four months of the year.
On site
The trail leads to the base of the falls and the pool. Upper North Falls is pet-friendly: dogs on a leash no longer than 6 feet can come along and may swim in the creek. That makes it the dog-friendly alternative to North Falls, since pets are not allowed on the Canyon Trail and its connecting trails.
History and name
Local photographer June Drake named the park's falls in the late 1880s; this one became Upper North Falls because it is the uppermost waterfall on North Silver Creek.
Nearby
North Falls is about 0.4 mile downstream, with a trail through the cavern behind it. Farther down the creek are Twin Falls at 1.1 miles and Middle North Falls at 1.5 miles, and Winter Falls is 1.3 miles away on Winter Creek.
Distances are straight-line.