Niagara Falls via the Goldmine Trail

Goldstream Provincial Park is just a short drive from Victoria. Within 20 minutes of leaving the city center, you can be immersed in an old growth temperate rain forest.

From Victoria, take the Trans-Canada highway to the start of the Malahat. The Goldstream day use area is well marked. Stop here if the salmon run is on or you want to visit the Goldstream Nature House. In the dry season you can park here and walk along Goldstream to reach the tunnel that channels water from the Niagara stream under the highway, and cross through this tunnel. (If there has been a lot of rain there will be too much water running through the tunnel).

The Goldmine Trail starts on the other side of the busy highway and crossing on foot is not a good idea. Drive about 5 km further north on the highway to the well marked designated U-turn spot, turn around and drive back along this beautiful stretch of highway. As soon as you see the sign indicating 400 m to the day use area, look for the small unmarked parking area immediately to your right and park there.

Follow the trail a short distance along the stream to where Niagara Falls plunges down a 47.5 meter cliff to a pool below. Mossy trees hang on the cliff face and mist often shrouds the top of the Falls.

There are a couple options to get back to the main trail after checking out the Falls - retrace your steps and cross the stream along a short trail beside the highway, or along a faint trail that crosses above the tunnel. The trail then climbs steeply above the gorge, leading to a bridge crossing the stream above the Falls. Climb a little further until you reach the Goldstream trestle, spanning a dizzying 350 feet above the gorge. Just beyond the tracks is a mossy, rocky gorge that is worth exploring.

Go back down the trail the way you came a short distance and look for a trail peeling off to your right. Take this trail as it winds through forest and along the hillside, watching for the old abandoned mine shaft from the short-lived gold rush at Goldstream.

After about 2km the trail drops down to mossy grove beside the highway. Hidden Springs is a tiny beautiful waterfall worth hunting for - go to your right and look for a faint trail on the right near small, tree covered mound. Once you've explored to your fill, follow the man trail back the way you came to the parking lot.