Winter Falls is a 134-foot horsetail waterfall on Winter Creek in Silver Falls State Park, Marion County, Oregon. It is reached by a short, easy walk from its own trailhead on Highway 214.
The falls
Winter Creek plunges straight down, then strikes a steeply slanted ledge of basalt and fans out into a veil for the rest of the 134-foot drop. The single drop measures about 5 feet wide. The creek is fed only by runoff, carrying about 1 cubic foot per second at high flow among the park's ten major falls.
Getting there
The Winter Falls trailhead is on Highway 214 in the north part of the park. From there, the Winter Creek trail descends gradually for about a fifth of a mile to the base, rated easy. The falls are also on the park's 5-mile Winter Falls loop and the 7.2-mile Trail of Ten Falls.
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, federal passes are not. No timed-entry reservation is required. Gates open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in September, with shorter hours from October through March.
When to go
November through April brings the best flow, while in summer the falls often become a dribble or dry up, as happened in 2012. The park warns of ice and snow on its trails in winter.
On site
The trail ends at the base of the falls. The park closes the water within 300 feet above and below Winter Falls, and dogs are not allowed on the Winter Trail. In March 2012 a 56-year-old hiker slipped and fell about 100 feet below the trail near the falls and died; darkness, rough terrain and ice and snow slowed the search. Stay on the trail, especially when it is icy.
History and name
The creek and the falls were named for their seasonal pattern of running best in winter and drying up in summer.
Nearby
Twin Falls on North Silver Creek is about 0.2 mile away, Middle North Falls 0.3 mile, Double Falls on Hullt Creek 0.6 mile and North Falls 0.9 mile.
Distances are straight-line.