If you are staying in the Nanaimo / Parksville region of British Columbia's Vancouver Island, and are looking for an easy, family-friendly hike in a gorgeous natural area, this post is for you!
My family and I recently spent a couple of weeks exploring Vancouver Island, including the town of Parksville. While there, we drove out to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park to check out the double waterfalls and enjoy a morning of hiking through the forest. It was a fabulous way to spend some time together in peaceful and beautiful surroundings.
Read on to learn more about Englishman River Falls Provincial Park and what to expect while there!
How to get there
Englishman River Falls Provincial Park is a free, family-friendly nature area complete with day use gazebos, picnic tables, a hiking trail, camping grounds, and even swimming. Although the falls show up in "Things to do in Parksville", they are technically closer to the town of Errington, which is a very short drive west of Parksville. |
| Englishman River Falls Provincial Park is extremely beautiful! |
The drive is about 15 minutes from downtown Parksville, and very scenic. Lots of towering pines, forest floors carpeted with ferns, and even some bucolic grazing fields dotted with cattle are all sights you'll enjoy while cruising towards the park.
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| All sorts of discoveries were made during our hike in Englishman River Falls Provincial Park |
Once you have turned into the Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, you'll drive down a road with several turn-offs to the left and right. Stay straight, unless you are searching for camping sites. At the end of the road there is a large parking lot, with some convenient outhouse facilities provided for you. This is the beginning of the Englishman River Falls hiking trail.
The hiking trail
A word of warning before you begin hiking towards the Upper or Lower Englishman River Falls. Although the path is very well maintained and easy to traverse, there are parts that are not that convenient for wheelchairs or strollers. |
| A gentle giant lays prone on the forest floor |
When you begin, you have the choice to see the Upper or Lower Falls first. The path is circuitous and no matter which way you start, you will end up seeing it all. You definitely can't get lost! We chose to see the more impressive Upper Falls first. There are two pathways you can take to access the Upper Falls - one along the fence that is full of ups, downs, little hills, and tree root steps. This is NOT wheelchair or stroller friendly at all! (It is also the one we took, because my kids love that kind of stuff!)
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| Hiking down one of the steeper parts of the 'path' |
There is a second pathway that guides you towards the Upper Falls, and this one is wide and flat but lacks the view of the gorge. We saw a lot of elderly people strolling along that path, so I am guessing it is an easier and more stable walk.
Beyond the Upper Falls, which I'll focus on in a second, you enter a pathway that ribbons along the edge of the river, high up in the trees. There are steps on this path, as the course naturally lowers down to the river and the bridge that crosses it. If you are using something with wheels, I suggest visiting the Upper and Lower falls from the parking lot side of the river, and not crossing over into the forest hike, or you'll get stuck at the steps.
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| Posing above some stone steps on the forest path |
The entire loop is approximately 3 kilometers long, so this is an easily achievable walk for people of all ages. We stopped to look at pretty much everything and were still done in a couple of hours. That's with me being a total videography nerd, trying to film everything from ten different angles too!
The waterfalls
Regardless of how you access them, I have to say the Englishman River Falls are completely worth the visit - particularly the Upper Falls. As we approached the Upper Falls, you could hear the water thundering down into the basin below, and the air began to cool the closer we got, damp with spray from the powerful waterfall. |
| The majestic Upper Falls at Englishman River Falls |
Then the trees thin and you can see the Upper Falls. The water rushes through a narrow hole, dropping deep into the canyon 75 to 100 feet below. (The exact height hasn't been calculated, because the gorge is so extraordinarily narrow, no one can traverse down to measure!) Because of the way the water is funnelled, these falls look incredibly powerful and create a rumble and spray to match. I found the Upper Falls to be quite impressive!
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| The view from the footbridge hovering above the Upper Falls |
You can view the Upper Falls from all angles, as there are lookout points on either side of the falls, and a bridge that walks you right across the drop. I loved the bridge and its design - you felt really close to the power of the falls, but not enough that you were worried for your safety. If you look over the edge, you can see right down into the chasm 150 feet below, shrouded in mist. This is one high footbridge - no playing Pooh Sticks here!
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| Crossing the footbridge over the Upper Falls to the forest hike beyond |
The Lower Falls are less impressive, and in fact can only be really enjoyed during certain times of the year, such as spring when the run-off creates high river levels.
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| The Lower Falls at Englishman River Falls |
If you are more into swimming, then opt to visit the Lower Falls in the summer, when water levels are lower and you can swim in the deep pool just past the falls. (Don't swim during high river levels as the currents are stronger then! And there are no lifeguards on site, so you do so at your own risk!)
Enjoying the area
The loop hike is a really enjoyable one. My favourite part, by far, was viewing the Upper Falls from the sweeping height of the footbridge. I loved the power of the falls and the crazy height from which you are able to view them.But hiking through the forest is also extremely charming. The trees are thick with old growth Douglas Firs, cedars, hemlocks, maple, and arbutus trees. (Don't ask me to identify an arbutus - I wasn't 100% clear on which ones those were!) Ferns, mosses, and other vegetation covered the forest floor in a lush, verdant green.
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| The old growth Douglas Fir forest |
My kids were super excited / grossed out to encounter their first-ever British Columbia slug. This big guy was doing his best to cross the path before my kids reached him, but didn't quite make it. Instead, he found himself being towered over by two inquisitive kids who kinda-sorta wanted to touch him to see how slimy he was but were too icked-out to do so. In the end, we wished him luck on his journey and continued on ours.
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| A friendly neighbourhood slug trying to cross the path |
My husband's favorite part of the hike was when we reached the bowl below the Lower Falls, where the river spread out into a wide pool and the current didn't seem so rushed. This is typically where people go swimming in the summertime, but because of the season and the high water levels, we opted to just dip our toes and skip some rocks across the water.
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| My kids enjoying some downtime skipping rocks on the river |
We spent probably a half hour just relaxing on the riverbank, throwing stones into the water and enjoying the distant sound of the falls. I did my best to capture some industrious bees pollinating the local flowering bushes. It was a very peaceful way to end our adventure.
I definitely recommend spending a morning or afternoon strolling around the Englishman River Falls hiking trail. Bring a picnic and enjoy the day use area to really make a day of it! If you own a dog, feel free to bring your pet as long as you leave him or her on leash. Go enjoy some nature!
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