PORTLAND:

South Falls

This past Saturday, we headed into the Willamette Valley known as Pinot Paradise. The valley is home to over 500+ wineries and world famous for Pinot noir. The drive from Portland into the valley was gorgeous with rolling farm lands and views of Mt. Hood in the distance. The land was filled with Christmas tree farms and Pinot vineyards. Two equally wonderful things to be growing in close proximity. Just Google pictures of the Willamette Valley and you can seen how breathtaking it is.

We dipped down among the evergreens into Silver Fall State Park to hunt down some waterfalls. The park came under protection in 1935 thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a photographer named June D. Drake. The park contains the Trail of Ten Falls which winds you through the park revealing 10 unique waterfalls around every bend. The parking lot allows access to the South Falls Lodge which was built in 1934. Around the lodge there was a variety of events going on, including an antique car display with old Fords, a group of women spinning yarn on the patio, and a logging demonstration in the yard.

Behind Lower South Falls

Lower South Falls

The first stop along the trail is at South Falls which is 177 ft in height. The trail allows for access behind the water and under the rock. The falls mid-summer are typically less powerful than in spring. The roar of the water crashing down was already impressive, it would likely be deafening with this snow melt.

Double Falls

The trail continued on to the Lower South Falls which is another falls you can walk behind. It was gorgeous to see the sun catching the light behind the falls. Illuminating the green moss surrounding the falls.

We continued on the trail pass the Lower North Falls at the 2 mile mark, on to Double Falls. This is the tallest falls in the park coming in at 178 ft. We continued on past the Drake Falls and the Middle North Falls. The Winter Falls was barely at trickle at this time. It is named appropriately because it only flows during the winter months.

We ultimately ended up seeing 6 different waterfalls. We had hiked a decent amount and had worked up an appetite. On the way back out of the Willamette Valley, we stopped at the Piluso Vineyard and Winery for a $5 tasting. The owner of the vineyard educated us on what it takes to start a winery. We also learned why white wine bottles are shaped differently than reds. White wines typically do not contain a lot of sediment and therefore can have a smooth curvature to the bottle opening. The shape of the red wine bottle prevents sediment from coming out of the bottle into the glass. Now we know!