Hike Little Qualicum River and Falls

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.