Snowmelt and spring rain combined create tremendous spring waterfalls in Oregon. Lace up those hiking boots and hit the trail to view these dramatic cascades this season.

In the Willamette Valley, check out Silver Falls State Park east of Salem for the Trail of Ten Falls. The 8.7-mile trail loops past, as the name suggests, 10 different waterfalls, ranging in height from 27 feet (Drake Falls) to 178 feet (Double Falls).

Circle the 2.3-mile Horsetail Falls Loop in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to see three (or four) different waterfalls. From the Horsetail Falls trailhead, you’ll see Horsetail Falls, Ponytail Falls (which you can walk behind) and Oneonta Falls from above. Add a couple of miles for another waterfall (Triple Waterfalls) at the bridge junction.

Near Lincoln City, enjoy a 3-mile trek through the lush forest of the Coast Range. Don’t forget to breathe as you cross the 240-foot suspension bridge (Oregon’s longest) that hangs 100 feet above Drift Creek. Your goal is the beautiful, 80-foot cascade of Drift Creek Falls.

Silver Falls: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/silverfalls_trailmap.pdf

Horsetail Falls Loop: http://gorgefriends.org/display.php?modin=51&uid=4873

Drift Creek Falls Hike: http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Drift_Creek_Falls_Hike