Silver Falls State Park = perfect day #hike {#travel #oregon #kids #pdx}

Still there is no snow up at Teacup on Mt. Hood and pretty much most of what there is gone as it is way too warm for January.  It is so sad…yes, the year the kids are signed up for skiing lessons the year of epic skiing has so far been pretty much non-existend.  Well, okay we got two days of skiing in but that's it. Sad, right?!   Now we all know - ha yes, Bea that is not true - okay I have previously mentioned that the Sonntagsausflug aka as weekend excursion is important to me us so we needed to look for something different to do last weekend. Good thing outdoor options are plentiful here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest so Silver Falls State Park came to mind.  Waterfalls galore…yes, they are not only in the Columia Gorge but can also be found at Silver Falls.  Plus, you can actually walk behind the waterfall now how cool is that?!

Silver Falls is about 1-45 min drive but oh so worth it.  I remember having first heard about it at a luncheon when we first moved Portland.  The hike and park were described as being absolutely magnificent; surely enough it was the first Sunday hike we went on twelve years and it did not disappoint.   Take a look…

For some reason or another we had not been there in years; the last time we were there both kids were on our backs but now they are - finally - capable on going on hikes with us.

True,  we did not - even so I really wanted to - hike the entire loop, not even the median one but hey about three miles is not bad.  We went behind the South Fall - can you say impressive -

it's a 177 ft drop; can you see the people in the far left corner…I think this is how to realize it's size

Next stop Lower South Fall….

before hiking back out of the canyon.

Silver Falls State park is amazing, truly.  When you go be sure to keep a few things in mind.
Wear sturdy shoes,
Stay on the trail,
Be sure to carry water and food,
Pets are not allowed on this hike,
gift shop and lodge close at 4 p.m. sharp