Quality Falls is a high-quality experience (except for the pesky mosquitoes!). The trailhead parking is only 7 km from Tumbler Ridge. [NOTE: Watch that drop-off from the road into the parking lot, it's a doozy.]
Trails in the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global GeoPark usually have great signage. I especially appreciate information about the local flora and fauna, along with geological insights. The total distance of this hike is 2.5 km roundtrip.
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| Ornithological information. |
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| A mix of eastern and western bird species. |
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| About the rocks. |
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| I tried to find all of these, but I think some are not in season now. |
The trail starts with a sharp downhill but levels out soon after. As with most trails in this area, the trail surface is laced with tree roots. Hiking boots are a plus. Plank bridges cross two small creeks. We had one area of mud, but it wasn't deep or squishy.
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| We went sharply downhill to start this hike. |
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| Clasping-leaved twisted-stalk (Streptopus amplexifolius). |
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| Quality Creek creates Quality Falls. Makes sense to me. |
After about 1 km, the trail parallels the creek and then descends on a staircase (no handrails) to the picnic and falls viewing area. It is hard to get a picture of the whole waterfall from this viewpoint. There are multiple railings to keep people back from the edge.
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| Quality Falls viewpoint from the picnic area. |
In the picnic area are a number of informative signs to help educate us about what went down here eons ago. I am posting these signs for people who may never have a chance to make it here but may be interested in these things. (If you are not interested, skip the next few photos.)
One more steep downhill is found on this trail which takes you to creek level. It has a handrail and a few distinguishable steps. I was happy I had my hiking poles with me. From here, the complete waterfall is visible and very beautiful.
The bed of the creek is shallow and could be walked across to a small trail on the opposite bank. (NOTE: Bob tried to swim at this waterfall on Tuesday when he hiked there with Matt and Margret, but he said the bottom was very slippery. He did not go in. Beware, if you wish to cross over to the other side. Bwa haha.)
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| Quality Falls is quite lovely. |
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| Quality Falls and the shallow bedrock in the stream downriver. |
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| I could sit here and listen to this waterfall for hours! |
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| Bob is becoming quite the photographer. Nice job! |
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| Bob taking a photo of me taking a photo of wildflowers. |
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| "Ha, Bob! I knew you were taking a photo of me." |
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| Pink wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia). |
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| Creamy Peavine (Lathyrus ochroleucus). |
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| Falls downstream from Quality Falls. |
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| The shallow bedrock by Quality Falls. (Bob was slapping at mosquitoes!) |
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| Creeping dogwood lines the trail in parts. |
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| Twin berry. |
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| Tall bluebells (Mertensia panaculata). |
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| Cow-parsnip blooming from its pregnant pod. |
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| This is what most of the trail surfaces around Tumbler Ridge look like, only some trails have rocks as well! |
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| American Milk-Vetch (Astragalus americanus). |
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| Tower larkspur (Delphinium glaucum). |
This was one of my favorite waterfalls. It wasn't the biggest or most powerful, but it had a quiet, fetching elegance as it cascaded over the narrow sandstone ledges. It was also easy to get to as opposed to many of the other waterfalls that require long distances on gravel or dirt roads.
Once back at the pick-up in the parking lot, we headed home to the 5th wheel. I was very hot and needed a shower. Then we took time to do five loads of laundry before 20 more RVs came into the park. The RVs included some returning from the spring caravan and some who will be in our group leaving on Friday.
Oh, boy, we are getting so excited for this trip of a lifetime!
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| Smiling, happy faces R us! |
Stay tuned for more exploratory forays into the wilds of British Columbia.
This was indeed a pretty waterfall, especially for photos and Bob captured it nicely on film. I found the signs very informative.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to see some "old man's beard lichen" just cuz I liked the name on the sign. Anyway, each time you head out, you might want to keep that mosquito net handy in your pocket.
I'm getting excited for you and your upcoming trip that you've actually started!
DJ, I must admit there were all kinds of lichen, but I was focused more on wildflowers. BTW, the mosquito net is in the pocket of my red windbreaker. I'll have to remember to move it to whichever coat I'm wearing on a particular day.
Delete~Susan