Lower North Falls
Oregon · 30-foot drop · Silver Falls State Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Lower North Falls is at 1,340 cfs of flow today, on the upper end of typical conditions. October averages 5.8" of precipitation here — expect high flow.
Right now
Streamflow
1,340 cfs
NORTH SANTIAM RIVER AT · 18m ago
Overnight
45°F
Mostly Cloudy
Sunday
55°F
Rain
Today's daylight
Sunrise 7:38 AM · Sunset 6:10 PM · 10h 32m
Snapshot built 11m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS PQR.
Lower North Falls is a waterfall in Marion County, Oregon. It drops roughly 30 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Lower North Falls sits in Marion County, Oregon. The falls are inside Silver Falls State Park. The base sits at roughly 1,332 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 11 minutes from Lyons. A trail — Canyon Trail — runs within 20 meters of the marked location. It draws modest visitor attention — busier weekends, quiet weekdays. Source records come from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Entry is free. Dogs on leash are welcome on the access trail. The approach is short and gentle enough for young kids.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 14183000 · 7.2 mi away
NORTH SANTIAM RIVER AT MEHAMA, OR
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 1,780 cfs · 73% of last year — significantly drier
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 35 | 12.9 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 45 | 32 | 7.5 | 9.4 |
| Mar | 48 | 33 | 7.1 | 11 |
| Apr | 54 | 37 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| May | 61 | 43 | 5.8 | 1.4 |
| Jun | 69 | 49 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 80 | 54 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 0.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 3 | 0 |
| Oct | 61 | 45 | 5.8 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 49 | 37 | 10.9 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 35 | 14 | 9.2 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower North Falls (this page) | — | 30 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Double Falls | 0 mi | 184 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Drake Falls | 0 mi | 26 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Middle North Falls | 0 mi | 105 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Winter Falls | 1 mi | 135 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Twin Falls | 1 mi | 30 ft | — | Y | Free |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~30 ft)
- Champagne Falls30 ft
- Crevice Falls30 ft
- Cucumber Falls30 ft
- Eternal Flame Falls30 ft
- Georgiana Falls30 ft
Questions visitors ask about Lower North Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Lower North Falls?
Lower North Falls is 30 feet (9 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
Is Lower North Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Lower North Falls is inside Silver Falls State Park. We inferred this from OpenStreetMap protected-area polygons; if you find we got the boundary wrong, please report it. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Lower North Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Silver Falls State Park permits leashed dogs in most areas). Inferred from park type; check the official site for trail-specific restrictions. Always leash and pack out waste.
Is there a fee to visit Lower North Falls?
No entrance fee. Silver Falls State Park is free to access. Some trailheads may charge a parking fee separately.
How far is Lower North Falls from a major city?
Lower North Falls is 8 miles from Lyons (about 11 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Oregon
Where it is
44.8919, -122.6468
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Lower North Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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