If your kids are little tikes and/or beginners, it doesn't get more perfect that this! I have hiked this short trail many times with my 3 children, especially when they were younger {or when we were short on time & needed a quick hike like today}. This hike is only 0.4 miles round trip to a beautiful waterfall. Start off at the North Falls Trailhead located on Hwy 214 at mile marker 27. From the parking lot, you'll head over a wooden footbridge. The trail immediately branches off, and you'll make a U turn to the right, following under the bridge you just came over. Right off the bat, there is a fun rocky/dirt area under the bridge that one of my sons always insists on climbing. As you follow the trail to the waterfall, there will be 4-5 "baby waterfalls" {as my 6 year old calls them} to your right, and a 10 ft drop to the creek on your left, so you'll obviously want to keep any toddlers to your right {there is plenty of room to walk side-by-side}. The Upper North Falls has always been one of my favorite waterfalls at Silver Falls Park. I am partial to the wide ones. I was incredibly disappointed, however, to find that a trio of fallen trees has blocked a portion of this falls, cutting it's width nearly in half. It is still beautiful, but not the stunner it once was. The main trail will end about 50 yards away from the 65 ft waterfall, but there are stone steps that will take you down to the rocky creek's edge, if you want to get a closer look.
After we returned to the bridge, we had a little time to spare, so we ventured about 0.3 miles down the Canyon Trail to the North Falls viewpoint before turning around and returning to the car. This is a great addition, if you're wanting to hike a little longer. If you choose to continue past the viewpoint, you can make a nice 2.9 mile loop by catching the Winter Falls trail 1.5 miles away on the left, following that for 0.5 miles, then returning 0.9 miles on the Rim Trail. I'll be featuring that loop here on the blog sometime soon.
Total Distance: 0.4 miles
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Well maintained, packed & nature covered gravel
Trail Elevation: Flat
Atmosphere: Birds chirping, water roaring
View: Trees, creek, waterfalls
Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: ****;****;****
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