Friends of Silver Falls Interpretive Walks
MAGICAL MARSHES
Guided Walks & Hikes at Silver Falls State Park
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There is more to a visit at Silver Falls State Park than the beautiful waterfalls and forest trails. The entire family can enjoy talks and walks about flowers, marshes, birds and the history of the park as offered by interpretive volunteers who are members of the Friends of Silver Falls State Park, (Primarily from spring to early fall, call first)
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With antique photo booklets in hand, Lou Nelson leads visitors
on A Walk through History, an hour walk through the parks
historic area. She explains the history of the park and the
historic buildings. Visitors walk through the South Falls Lodge,
the Combination Building and the Log Cabin. There is an
eight-minute film with historic footage as part of the walk. Lou
leads her walks on Tuesdays at 2:00 in the afternoon (starting
in the spring through summer. This day may change to Sat.).
Earl McCollum takes visitors on A Walk in the Mist Zone each
Thursday afternoon at 2:00. His walk showcases plants that
are blooming in the park and explains interesting facts such
as which plants are edible or poisonous, and how to recognize
different species. “People are surprised by the number and
variety of wildflowers in the park. They are also interested to
learn the difference in the flowers between the streamside habitat and upper
forest habitat that we cover in the hike,” says Earl. His hike is about two miles and
takes two hours (starts early spring through early fall).
Bill Stoddard is available for special demonstrations and talks
on the local Native American history. His talks describe much of
their use of natural materials and plants that comprised their
everyday life. Please call to arrange for a talk or demonstration.
Patti Lindquist leads visitors through Magical Marshes in the
mornings on Wednesdays at 10:30am. She takes visitors on a
1 1/2 hour walk through one of Silver Falls’ wetlands to learn
about the marsh plants. Patty says, “People are very surprised
to learn that this is a temperate rainforest and that it supports
extensive wetlands which contain a great variety of plants.”
Patti's walks take place generally during the summer months.
For Further Information
To answer any questions about the hikes or make group arrangements, call the Friends of Silver Falls State Park at 503-873-8735. To learn more about all the state park’s interpretive activities, go to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s website at www.oregonstateparks.org/park 210.php for a weekly schedule. To get other information, call Interpretive Park Ranger at 503-874-0201. Or contact The Friends of Silver Falls by email: admin@friendsofsilverfalls.net
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