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A 20-year-old tourist died this week after entering a restricted area to take photos at the top of an iconic Oregon waterfall and then slipping and falling over the edge. FILE: A tourist with a red hat and yellow jacket stares at South Falls in Silver Falls State Park, Ore. On Monday evening, Zachary Nicholas Mertens of Kentucky fell from the 177-foot South Falls at Silver Falls State Park, a roughly 9,000-acre preserve known for a spectacular collection of waterfalls that was once considered for inclusion in the national park system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Oregon State Police said troopers responded to the park at 6:36 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing Mertens fall. He landed in the pool below South Falls, and Marion County Search and Rescue led the effort to recover his body. South Falls is the best known of 10 major waterfalls connected by the park’s Trail of Ten Falls, a 7.2-mile route that winds through dense forest and passes behind several cascades. At South Falls, the trail descends into a canyon and loops behind the waterfall itself, where water pours over a basalt cliff into the pool below. For visitors looking for a quick waterfall stop, South Falls is the park’s most accessible cascade, just a short walk from the parking lot along a mostly paved trail. The South Falls waterfall cascades 177 feet through Silver Falls State Park near Sublimity, Ore. The waterfall is part of the Trail of Ten Falls, a 7.2-mile loop through the park’s forested canyon. Fatal falls at waterfalls are relatively rare in the Pacific Northwest, but they do happen, often when visitors venture beyond established trails or viewing areas or get too close to the water. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In June 2025, an 18-year-old Texas tourist died after slipping and falling over the nearly 50-foot Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park. Grant Herridge had crossed the river above the waterfall when he slipped and was swept over the falls, briefly resurfacing before disappearing beneath the water. It took weeks for emergency services to recover his body. In September 2025, a 49-year-old Washington man died after falling at least 150 feet from the Larch Mountain Trail near Multnomah Falls. Search and rescue personnel located him later that morning. BECOME A FRIEND. GET OUR AD-FREE APP. Two years earlier, a 41-year-old man died after slipping and falling at least 100 feet while hiking a similar trail. He was hiking with his wife and five children, who were unable to see where he landed. Responders located his body about 45 minutes later. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Waterfalls can be particularly deceptive hazards. Rocks near moving water are often slick, even when they appear dry, while the currents above falls can be strong enough to sweep someone off their feet. At Silver Falls, access to the water is closed within 300 feet above and below most of the park’s waterfalls. Oregon State Parks also asks visitors to stay on designated trails rather than taking shortcuts. — National park's famous bear cam captures horrific killing of cub — 'Outlaw dog trainer' puts bounty out on Yellowstone wolf hunters — A man went over Yosemite's Nevada Fall. A stranger tried to save him. — Kids were allegedly poisoned in Yellowstone. The park says it isn't responsible. We love national parks just as much as you do, so we have a newsletter that covers them from top to bottom. Sign up here.