The backcountry portion of Silver Falls State Park is enormous, taking up the majority of the park’s 9,200 acres and featuring 45 miles of mixed-use trails. You’d be excused if you found it all a little overwhelming. While those who want to dive into the heart of the backcountry can explore the 8.1-mile Buck Mountain Loop, hikers who want a smaller, easier adventure should consider the Howard Creek Loop instead. Running just over three miles, the easy hike has about only 300 feet of elevation gain, following the forking Howard and Smith creeks on the west side of the park. Trails lead through a dense forest of Douglas firs, red alders and bigleaf maples, with several streamside access points along the way. It’s a pretty hike that features quaint bridges, quiet forest and trickling creeks, all removed (but not so far) from the park’s many thundering waterfalls. Those falls will always be the main attraction at Silver Falls, drawing the bulk of the park’s roughly 1 million annual visi...