Trip Reports

Showing all trip reports for the hike "Silver Falls Loop"

Showing 18 trip reports


	Silver Falls Loop — Jun 15, 2012 — Bob and Barb Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text We hiked this beautiful loop counter-clockwise. The Ohanapecosh River with its many cascades and blu... We hiked this beautiful loop counter-clockwise. The Ohanapecosh River with its many cascades and blue green calmer areas and Silver Falls were full and beautiful. The forest was lush and green with its moss carpet.

	Silver Falls Loop, Grove of the Patriarchs Loop — May 11, 2012 — Wendy W Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Cayuse Pass opened this week so we headed for Silver Falls. We found Ohanapecosh Campground closed b... Cayuse Pass opened this week so we headed for Silver Falls. We found Ohanapecosh Campground closed blocking access to the trailhead so we found the .3 mile the trail from the road to the falls and parked along the road. Silver Falls is flowing fast but in places the water is calm and a pretty shade of aqua. We followed the trail upstream heading for the Grove of the Patriarchs and came across a few spots of snow on the trail that are easy to cross. The suspension bridge that leads to the grove of ancient trees was fun to cross and the water below was crystal clear.

	Silver Falls Loop — Oct 02, 2011 — Bob and Barb Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Why go now: Fall foliage Expand report text Hide report text What a beautiful 3 mile loop in a lush green forest carpeted with moss to Silver Falls and with view... What a beautiful 3 mile loop in a lush green forest carpeted with moss to Silver Falls and with views of the Ohanapecosh River along the way. In 2 weeks or less the vine maples should be at their peak color and how awesome this will be! There were several varieties of fungus along the trail. We had light drizzle which enhanced the green of the moss.

	Silver Falls Loop — Sep 24, 2011 — Eric Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Why go now: Ripe berries Expand report text Hide report text Very nice and easy hike. All in the woods and a good kept trail with a nice viewpoint on the falls a... Very nice and easy hike. All in the woods and a good kept trail with a nice viewpoint on the falls and bridge across the creek. Was able to get close to the falls. The nice thing about the hike is that it is a loop so you don't have to go back the same path to get to your back car. On the day is was there not to many people on the track and it was a sunny and warm day, but because you're in the woods most of the time it doesn't matter.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Aug 22, 2011 — Weluv2hike. Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Nice hike, have done this hike in the past. Nice to redo again. Alot of families on this trail.... Nice hike, have done this hike in the past. Nice to redo again. Alot of families on this trail.

	Silver Falls Loop, Grove of the Patriarchs Loop, Laughingwater Creek to Three Lakes — Jun 18, 2011 — Robert Michelson Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier 6/18/2011 Rain, clouds, forest in mist, wh... Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier 6/18/2011 Rain, clouds, forest in mist, white water and thundering falls but not views of our Majestic volcano this day. Over Cayuse pass on Hiway 123 the snow banks were still 10 feet high but then the road drops steeply down several thousand feet to Ohanapecosh, the lowest and greenest part of the park. My route combined the Silver Falls trail, the Grove of the Patriarchs loop and the first mile or so of the Laughingwater Creek trail. Eventually the rain tapered off to mist and then stopped. We did find a dry spot for lunch under the branches of 3 huge cedars. Which was better ? Silver falls, the huge 1000 year old patriarch trees or the emerald green forest along Laughingwater Creek ? A beautiful place. Robert Michelson Mountaineers Seattle Hiking

	Grove of the Patriarchs Loop, Silver Falls Loop — Jul 10, 2010 — Robert Michelson Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier 7/10/2010 Ohanapecosh campground was our s... Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier 7/10/2010 Ohanapecosh campground was our starting point for a hike combining two short trails of very diverse natures: Silver Falls Loop and Grove of the Patriarchs. Silver Falls Loop is a forest trail with a few creek crossings, views of the Ohanapecosh river and gorge and of course the falls. The river was high with early summer snow melt, making the falls thunder and throw up an immense cloud of spray. Coming up from the south in forest the trail arrives at the top of the gorge rim where one suddenly sees the river, falls, upper gorge and plunge pool. After switchbacking down into the gorge the trail crosses the river on a high very sturdy bridge and continues north on the other side. Just a little ways up is the prime falls viewing, relaxing spot on rock slabs. Here is shade, a view, and a cool breeze from the water. What a spot! We came back here on return even tho it was a slight detour requiring an extra 1/2 mile of uphill hiking. Uphill and across the Stevens Canyon road we hiked on the East Side Trail and then across the suspension bridge over the Ohanapecosh River into the Grove Of The Patriarchs. Here we admired the 1000 year old cedar and douglas firs. It was a cool shady spot for lunch. We had a light sprinkling of forest flowers: Salmonberry, Canadian Dogwood, Blue Daisy, Nootka Rose, Foamflower, Twinflower, Thimbleberry. And Digitalis, Goatsbeard, Fireweed, Beargrass, and Lupine on the approach road. On the way home we drove up to Chinook Pass for a different view of Rainier. At the top, 3500 feet higher than Ohanapecosh, all was buried in 2 - 4 feet of snow. Little Tipsoo Lake was still frozen. Stats: 6 miles and 400 ft. gain high point 2350 ft. 110 miles from my Seattle home Robert Michelson

	Silver Falls Loop — Jun 02, 2010 — jasonracey Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Hiked the Silver Falls loop from Stevens Canyon Road to Ohanapecosh and back. Brought my 3-year-old ... Hiked the Silver Falls loop from Stevens Canyon Road to Ohanapecosh and back. Brought my 3-year-old and he had a great time. Had to carry him about half the distance however. The trail is in perfect condition. The forest is green. The waterfalls are going strong, and there are a lot of them. Silver Falls is spectacular but I failed to get a single decent photo of it. It's so big that the amount of water created too much contrast for the camera settings I was using. The western branch of the loop isn't quite as interesting. It's nice forest but just can't compete with the many waterfalls of the eastern branch. http://www.flickr.com/jasonracey

	Silver Falls Loop — May 15, 2010 — Dave from Indy Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text It's good to be back on the trails around Rainier. Cayuse is open, but Stevens Canyon Road and the ... It's good to be back on the trails around Rainier. Cayuse is open, but Stevens Canyon Road and the Ohanapecosh VC are closed. We had never visited the Grove of the Patriarchs, so ducked into that lot and set out for the grove. The giant firs, hemlocks, and spruces are truly inspiring - and we took our time on this short loop. However, once that was done, we decided to head to Silver Falls and the Ohanapecosh Campgrounds and back, just to stretch out a bit. It's a very easy hike. The trails are well maintained and have very little vertical to them. What vertical there is runs up and down the cascades, of which Silver Falls is the most notable. It was a stunningly beautiful day, and once the trail opened to the Ohanapecosh River, we were very glad we'd decided to explore this section of trails. The river is clearly different from the other rivers and streams coming off of Rainier's glaciers - there is no sediment in the water - "glacial flour" - produced by the grinding of active glaciers. The glaciers that feed the Ohanapecosh do not move; no grinding, no rock dust in the river. Once we encountered the first of the many significant cascades - and they were THUNDERING with many thousands of gallons of water per second - the deep percussive sounds of the falls dominated the senses. There were plenty of places to step out onto huge outcroppings to get a birds-eye view of the various cascades. We spend a good half hour on one, eating lunch & soaking in the awesome spectacles all around. Finally, we headed on down to Silver Falls, the crown jewel of these cascades. We had the wooden foot bridge to ourselves - no crowds this day. In front of us, Silver Falls and natures own "Bellagio Fountain", behind us a very tight and somewhat tubular box canyon through which the Ohanapecosh rapidly escaped the turbulence of the cascades above. We spent another 20 minutes here, switching our gaze from the towering jets of water kicked up as the thundering falls exploded into the rocks and violently tumbling water below the falls to the beautiful yet completely contrasting spectacle of a beautiful turquoise stream calmly yet rapidly moving through a very tight box canyon. The rest of the trip was pretty routine. From the Grove of the Patriarchs to the Ohanapecosh Campground and back, the loop was about 4 to 5 very easy miles. I'm not quite sure why this loop only rates 3 stars - unless it is dragged down when the river is at much lower levels and the falls not nearly so spectacular. Come in the early summer - - it's most definitely more than a 3 star ! !

	Silver Falls Loop, Shriner Peak — May 07, 2010 — Hikingqueen Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Cayuse Pass is open! I went exploring today to see the snow levels. I can hardly wait till Sunrise o... Cayuse Pass is open! I went exploring today to see the snow levels. I can hardly wait till Sunrise opens its gates. I drove to ohanapecosh campground area which is closed so I backtracked and parked off the hwy and hiked just a short ways down to Silver Falls, it was gorgeous, had the whole place to myself. I sat on a rock above the falls and soaked up the early morning sun and enjoyed a snack. Then I went to Shriner Peak, only made it up about 2-2.5 miles till I hit snow and lost the trail. Day ended in hail and rain but I was almost back to my car by then.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop, Grove of the Patriarchs — Jul 26, 2009 — el tigre Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text We combined the Silver Falls Loop trail, the trial to Steven's Canyon Road, and the Grove of the Pat... We combined the Silver Falls Loop trail, the trial to Steven's Canyon Road, and the Grove of the Patriarchs into one 4.5 mile roundtrip hike from Ohanapecosh campground, as we were looking for something 'local' and shaded late on a hot afternoon. This hike fit the bill, as it is gentle and short. Hardly any bugs from the campground to the falls. Trail is in very good shape. From there it's 1/2 mile to Steven's Canyon Road. Then downward into the Grove, where there a few mosquitoes though not enough to warrant insect repellent. The whole roundtrip took us about 2.5 hours at an easy pace, with time for breaks. There is just a little climbing up from the campground to the falls, and then to the road - the books say about 600 feet total. Very shaded, so good on a hot day. The Grove hike is heavily trafficked but the rest had just a few hikers. Good hike with kids.

	Silver Falls Loop — May 25, 2009 — Sarah Kirkconnell Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Beware of: Blowdowns Expand report text Hide report text Silver Falls Loop is a great shorter family hike. Do it counter clockwise, starting at the parking a... Silver Falls Loop is a great shorter family hike. Do it counter clockwise, starting at the parking area in Loop B of the campground. If you haven't been there before, walk a few feet uphill from the parking and take the connector trail towards the visitor center. The trail starts there. There is another trailhead at the end of Loop B, but you miss the hot springs. All bridges are in and in great shape. Especially the one put in last summer over Laughingwater Creek. Silver Falls is running high and loud. Perfect! There are blowdowns on both sides, everything is passable. A little bit of snow due to the insulation from the branches.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Oct 27, 2001 — mcaver Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Beware of: Water on trail Expand report text Hide report text Hiked the quick mile from the (closed) Ohanapecosh Campground to Silver Falls. Nice leisurely hike ... Hiked the quick mile from the (closed) Ohanapecosh Campground to Silver Falls. Nice leisurely hike through and old growth forest near the Ohanapecosh River, passing by the hot springs. Lots of fall leaves on the ground, and lots of water on the trail from the rains. Trail is in good condition otherwise. Silver Falls is raging right now.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Aug 26, 2001 — John & Family Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Took my children, ages; 4, 2, and 2 months on their first hike. We choose Silver Falls Loop via Oha... Took my children, ages; 4, 2, and 2 months on their first hike. We choose Silver Falls Loop via Ohanapecosh. Also ""hiking"" through the hot springs. This was a good starter for the kids. Most of the trail is flat, easy walking. It's also forested so even on a sunny day, its not to hot. The falls were great this day, and flowing pretty full. The kids did really great and had a great time. I am looking forward to taking them on some more secluded hikes... if anyone has any suggestions please email me at cpserving@hotmail.com

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Aug 20, 2001 — mcaver Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Doing the tourist thing at MRNP with a friend visiting from Texas. The Mountain was hiding in a big... Doing the tourist thing at MRNP with a friend visiting from Texas. The Mountain was hiding in a big grey cloud all day, so we decided to do some short lowland hikes instead. Everything's great on this short jaunt, including a lack of bugs and incredible fall-like weather. The fall seemed a little thinner than when i'd been here a few months ago, but not as much as I expected. The rest of the park was a bit dry -- you could barely even make out Skookum Falls from 410. No crowds either, as it was Monday.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Aug 10, 2001 — Flora Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Since we were staying at Ohanapecosh Campground for the weekend, we thought about taking this loop ... Since we were staying at Ohanapecosh Campground for the weekend, we thought about taking this loop for an evening stroll after dinner. It's a bit more than that (3 miles, 300 feet gain) but still a nice stretch of the leg even for children. The falls is not in tip top shape right now due to the drought, but there was still enough water coming over it to make an impressive roar. The slot canyon below the bridge is scary, too. The trail climbs after crossing the river and curves around a large rock outcropping before dropping rapidly down to the western edge of the campground near the river bridge. In its travels, the loop passes an intersection with the Laughingwater Creek Trail and the Eastside Trail, with connections to the Cowlitz Divide Trail and beyond. A mile walk or so on the Eastside Trail will deliver you to the Grove of the Patriarchs, which beats looking for a parking space in the tiny lot... Happy hiking!

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Apr 22, 2001 — mcaver Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Nice falls, and with rainy weather and newly opened Cayuse Pass, I was completely alone and got som... Nice falls, and with rainy weather and newly opened Cayuse Pass, I was completely alone and got some good photos of the falls and the bridge. The trail is in good conditions, without mud, snow or blowdowns.

No image submitted	Silver Falls Loop — Feb 25, 2001 — Fran P.-Tatooshie Mt. Rainier -- SW - Cayuse Pass / Steven's Canyon Expand report text Hide report text Very little snow, cached the snowshoes and hiked but very icy/patchy difficult to travel. Lots of c... Very little snow, cached the snowshoes and hiked but very icy/patchy difficult to travel. Lots of cougar tracks, also some elk. Not much fun.

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