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Out and About in Oregon: A Four-Day Exploration Guide (Part II)

If you’ve made it through Part I, you know that Days 1 and 2 of Oregon consisted of exploring some of the best spots in Portland as well as my checking off a bucket list item in experiencing the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. Throughout our final two days, my brother and I committed to driving, a lot (okay, well, my brother committed to driving… I, on the other hand, committed to my shotgun role, ensuring we had top notch road trip playlists on repeat). Let the second half of the trip commence...


Day 3: Silver Falls State Park and Salem


After our day exploring the Gorge, we headed to the town of Silverton and checked into the Oregon Garden Resort around 4 PM. Stunning, comfortable, and ideal location define the resort, and we lived it up in our little cottage for the night before officially kicking off Day 3.


Silver Falls State Park (Oregon’s Largest State Park)























I had one mission for this trip, visit as many waterfalls as possible - endless, immaculate, moss-framed waterfalls. After much research, I discovered that Silver Falls State Park, dubbed the “crown jewel” of Oregon parks, contains a trail named the Trail of Ten Falls. Naturally, it made the itinerary without hesitation. From the resort, the park was only a 25-minute drive, which gave plenty of time to enjoy each fall on the trail to the fullest.

Each fall was labeled with a brown or red sign.

Upon arriving at the park, fog flowed between the needles of thick conifers, making for a very picturesque yet somber scene. We entered through the South Falls Historic District entrance, where we paid $5 for parking and also found out the park offers overnight camping. Something to certainly check out next time! The main staging area contains a store, museum, and a seating area with a fireplace. The store was very much appreciated upon completion of the hike because we were freezing thanks to the rain that came in and, in combination with my Raynaud’s disease flaring up, I was a walking popsicle. Heaters were on and hot beverages were available. We took some time to sit by the fireplace and warm up while still enjoying the surrounding views.


We started on the trail at 9:25 AM and finished around 1 PM. Three and half hours was the perfect amount of time to really enjoy the 7.5 miles we clocked in total. Elevation change was slight, only about 700 feet or so.


Note: The sign at the trailhead claims the total trail length is 8.7 miles and 500 feet elevation change while various websites state anywhere from 7.2 miles to 8.7 miles with 500 - 800 feet of elevation change. Our phones recorded our numbers noted above.


As the name states, this trail contains ten falls (our order is outlined below while also marked on the map above):

  1. *South Falls (located at the trailhead) - 177 feet high and the tallest single waterfall in the park

  2. *Lower South Falls - 93 feet high

  3. Lower North Falls - 30 feet high

  4. Double Falls - two-tiers combined for 178 feet high

  5. Drake Falls - 27 feet high

  6. *Middle North Falls - 106 feet high (Note: At this location, there is a shortcut option on the Winter Trail that allows for passing on the first five or the last five waterfalls depending upon the starting trailhead chosen. This is an option if short on time.)

  7. Twin Falls - 31 feet high

  8. *North Falls - 136 feet high and has its own trailhead

  9. Upper North Falls - 65 feet high

  10. Winter Falls - 134 feet high

* = Favorite falls of the trail (see photos and captions below for more details)


Every step felt magical, an adjective fit to summarize the entire length of the trail. The subtle curves of the trail allowed us to follow Silver Creek the majority of the time while short foot bridges enabled us to travel over the creek’s rushing waters. We weaved our way through dense families of moss-covered Douglas firs and ferns and watched as dramatic cascades poured over basalt cliffs and saturated the surrounding areas, ourselves included, with its spray.

This and the Gorge were what I’d been waiting for, both making my waterfall dreams come true.


Note: Rain gear is essential to keep dry as splash zones are inevitable. My rain coat and boots came in handy... if only I had remembered rain pants!


Photo pictured left: South Falls

From the trailhead, South Falls comes into view from above. The trail leads to a quick descent that guides behind the fall, making it feel like I had officially arrived at nature's very own amusement park. The walkways are lined with wooden fence posts to ensure safety.


Photo pictured right: North Falls

North Falls, for me, was the most memorable as it contained a deep alcove behind the fall where we sat, had a snack, and listened to the water surge as if from a giant fire hose.



Salem (The Capital City)


After warming up and drying off, we left Silver Falls State Park, bound for a 30-minute drive to the state's capital. We opted for this stop as it was en route to our next destination of the gorgeous Oregon Coast. We only spent about two hours exploring the city before we had to hit the road again to make sure Day 4 would be a success. Nevertheless, we certainly made the most of those 120 minutes!


Before exploring any of the cool spots, we needed sustenance. Amadeus, a farm to table restaurant, provided delicious fuel for us to continue on for a brief 30-minute walk to landmarks like the Capitol Building, which looked like it came straight out of Suzanne Collins' fictional city of Panem. We also visited the Georgian style red brick buildings of Williamette University (where there were also plenty of statues for my brother to mimic, per usual).



Our last hour in Salem was spent at the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health. For $7 admission each, we learned a great deal about the location and history of where the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed. The museum contains various exhibits that reveal old therapeutic methods used on patients, including access to some of the eerie rooms and tools involved, as well as how life used to be for someone who was institutionalized. Powerful. Heart-wrenching. Eye opening. What a place.


With the sun setting on Day 3, we bid adieu to Salem with our minds and navigation set on Cannon Beach. A two-hour drive later, at around 6 PM, we checked into our room at the Lighthouse Inn, grabbed dinner at Pelican Brewing, and called it a night after another successful day of travel.


Day 4: The Oregon Coast, Tillamook, and a Portland Return


Cannon Beach and the Oregon Coast


An 8 AM start led us on a walk from our hotel through downtown Cannon Beach to the iconic Haystack Rock. We strolled for an hour along the beach, experiencing waves of fog, dogs donning sweaters, and a rather entertaining photo session. While we didn't make it to many of the shops, the town itself seemed rather quaint, cozy, and friendly, definitely something to explore more of in the future when time is not such a limiting factor.



4.5 miles south of Cannon Beach along the Oregon Coast lies Hug Point State Recreation Site, home to a peculiarly placed sandstone cave and waterfall. As someone who lives by the coast (shoutout to San Diego), I've been to my fair share of beaches. However, I can honestly say I have never experienced such a cave/waterfall combination on a beach before!



Twenty minutes of picture taking and rock hopping this unique place brought us back to our car and on the road where we continued our way south, bound for another twenty-minute pit stop to Oswald State Park and the Devil's Cauldron. Such an ominous name surely would mean the location held something reminiscent of the fires of Hell, but, in fact, it was the exact opposite. The location of the trailhead was a bit confusing, as it's right along the side of the road. Had we not had GPS (thanks to AllTrails), we could've easily missed it. We parked and walked along Elks Flat Trail to the offshoot for the Devil's Cauldron Overlook. While there are several trail options within this park's boundary lines, all of varying lengths, we chose this trail because it was the shortest, only a half-mile roundtrip. While the coastal views were gorgeous, the trail was very muddy and slippery. Despite sinking a few times into the Earth, we made it to a breathtaking cliff lookout where we, once again, had a mini photo session (I really am converting my brother into quite the photographer). With this final seaside pit stop, we bid another adieu, this time to the Oregon Coast, and began to work our way inland to the land of all things dairy, Tillamook Creamery!



Tillamook


An easy 40-minute drive landed us in our very own Shangri La. Ice cream, cheese, more ice cream, and even more cheese... ah, a dairy utopia. Sadly, I am lactose-intolerant. But as they say, when in Rome! And did I mention... no entry fee!


We learned about the process of making cheese by watching the factory workers (aka cheese artisans) craft batches upon batches along the lengthy production line. We sampled desserts, searched throughout the vast gift shop for some goodies to take home, and I won the sibling lottery, seizing the opportunity to watch my mid-20s aged brother compete against little children to see who could prepare a set up to milk a mechanical cow the fastest. Thank you, Tillamook, for the hour's worth of memories.



Portland and McMenamins


In my humble opinion, we ended this trip just right! From Tillamook, we drove 90 minutes back to Portland and spent our last night at the modest Candlewood Suites near the airport. That is not the highlight I'm talking about, though. What I'm referring to is partaking in a one-of-a-kind dinner, drinks, and game night experience at McMenamins!


While they have several locations, we visited the McMenamins Kennedy School. This previously abandoned school has been transformed into an adult playground, complete with various themed bars/ restaurants spread out amongst the old classrooms while also housing a movie theater and functioning as a hotel with 57 guest rooms (good to know for our next trip!). We ate dinner in the Boiler Room, which held a very industrial, steampunk vibe, and continued indulging in libations while playing a round of shuffleboard to some jukebox jams. Two hours of fun in such an uncommon setting made the experience at McMenamins Kennedy School all the more special. Now, if only I could somehow figure out how to transform the elementary school I work in to be just like this...



Cheers to Sibling Shenanigans


This remarkable, bucket list trip would not have been possible without my brother who occupied the role of driver throughout the entirety of the trip, who dealt with my constant photo taking with grace, and who made me laugh every step of the way. All the love, hugs, and gratitude to you, brother, and cheers to those who decide to embark upon this same journey. Make it epic!



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