Winter Falls, is a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
located in the
Silver Falls State Park at the east end of the city of
Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
, in
Marion County, in the
U.S. state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. It is located in a privileged area on the west foothills where
Mount Hood National Forest
The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of fore ...
meets with the
Middle Santiam Wilderness. Several prominent waterfalls are located in the Park along Trail of Ten Falls:
South Falls
Silver Falls State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, located near Silverton, about east-southeast of Salem. It is the largest state park in Oregon with an area of more than , and it includes more than of walking trails, of h ...
,
Lower South Falls
Lower South Falls, is a waterfall located in the Silver Falls State Park at the east end of the city of Salem, in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area on the west foothills where Mount Hood National Fore ...
,
Lower North Falls, and
Drake Falls
Drake Falls, is a waterfall located in the Silver Falls State Park at the east end of the city of Salem, in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area on the west foothills where Mount Hood National Forest me ...
—among others.
Location
Winter Falls is created along the course of South Silver Creek and it sits on the north section of Silver Falls State Park Trail of Ten Falls, along Winter Falls Loop, half a mile south of
Middle North Falls.
Winter Falls is the fourth tallest waterfall in the Silver Falls State Park.
Description
The falls drops in a straight plunge down approximately to a steeply slanted protrusion of
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
which causes veiling of the cascade the remaining distance to the pool. Winter Creek, from which the waterfall is produced, only flows during the winter months, hence the name of both the stream and its cascade. Despite being one of the tallest waterfalls in the park, it is the one with the lowest flow volume. During the summer months, Winter Falls tends to be but a dribble of water spattering over the cliff of basalt.
See also
*
List of waterfalls in Oregon
There are at least 238 waterfalls in the U.S. state of Oregon.
See also
* Lists of Oregon-related topics
{{United States topic, navbar=plain, title= Waterfalls in the United States, prefix=List of waterfalls in
Oreg ...
References
Waterfalls of Oregon
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