Hike Little Qualicum River and Falls
Nanaimo F, British Columbia
Details
Distance
0.6 miles
Route Type
Loop
Description
Added by Dan Duerden
Beautiful waterfalls. Variety of hiking distances (1km loop to see the falls). Crashing river rapids. Rock gardens and hidden streams. Amazing camping locations.
Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park is just off the #4 highway on your way out to Port Alberni. Simply look for the signs indicating Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, and you will turn into the park before Cameron Lake.
Easily accessible by everyone, this park can get busy in the summer months. I suggest going in the spring or fall to avoid larger crowds. The park is open year around and winter provides visitors solitude, but the campgrounds are not open. Check out the British Columbia Parks website to learn more about the campsites in the immediate area.
The marked trails for the upper and lower falls is a loop trail of about 1km in length allowing you to see both the large upper falls and smaller lower falls. The trail is fenced to avoid canyoning as there have been unfortunate accidents with locals and tourists alike from the fast moving river and falls.
The hidden gem of this park lies in the now un-maintained trail west of the lower falls. The river has left beautiful rock gardens and a luscious valley from flood flow, and a much older glacial flow. This trail can increase the hike from a simple 1km trek to about 5km in length. Keep in mind that the bridges to cross are only located at the two specific points close to the campground so the extension is not a loop. As you get down to the lower falls, do not cross the bridge, but continue down on the south side of the river, you will see the sign indicating that you are leaving the maintained trail and to exercise caution when exploring the river and canyon especially. You can either immediately head down to your right to explore beautiful rock gardens or continue down the path to enjoy valley and river views at your leisure.
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Hike Little Qualicum River and Falls Reviews
Nice easy loop, great for families. Can be a little busy on the trail but overall beautiful place
4.0
Cool waterfall and pool. Makes you want to swim but is very cold
4.0
This is a beautiful hike to a little waterfall and pool that is very cool. It's close to Cameron Lake.
5.0
Finally got to check out this beautiful provincial park today (aug 8th 2016) and man is it beautiful. The big two tiered waterfall is stunning. I will have to go back again to hiking further downstream as noted in this write up. Can't wait!
5.0
I visited the park in 2013 with my school and it was great. We spent most of the day watching the falls and just enjoying the beautiful scenery in the company of good friends. Too bad we didn't get to camp overnight. Hope to go back once in Vancouver Island again.
5.0
A stunning little spot deserving of a stop when you're traveling Highway 4. Haven't yet introduced it to the girls, Dan, so thank you for the reminder. (Growing up in Port Alberni, it was definitely part of the upbringing.) Unrelated, love your profile description - I get the sense we'd get along just fine with that combination of goals and values. Here's to meeting out on the trail one day.
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