Magnificent Elk Falls

One thing that I love about living on Vancouver Island is the proximity of wilderness. I live in town, but it doesn’t take long to get out into nature; rivers, mountains, waterfalls, primeval rainforest and great beaches are all close at hand.

Whenever I go to Campbell River I am impressed with the number of hiking trails that are only a few minutes from the city center. Elk Falls Provincial Park is certainly high on the list. The park’s 1087 hectares encompass a huge area, and feature a 122 site campground and a network of hiking trails including Quinsam River Trail, Kingfisher and Beaver Pond Trail, Canyon View Trail and Millennium Trail.

One of the park’s gems is Elk Falls, the park’s namesake, which plummets 25 metres into a deep, rocky gorge. According to the book Edge of Discovery (a history of Campbell River by Isenor, Stephens and Watson) the park was established in 1940. Prior to being declared a park, the area housed a camp for reforestation efforts. The “Great Fire” of 1938 narrowly missed the park, burning a swath of land that stretched from north of Campbell River south to the Courtenay area, almost reaching Comox Lake.

Elk Falls has long been a popular destination with tourists. In Richard Mackie’s book Mountain Timber there is a black and white picture of two women in 1920’s style dress standing at the top of the falls. The falls were reportedly much more impressive in the old days, before the dam went in. Families from the Comox Valley would often day trip to the falls, which marked the northern frontier, beyond which lay the unimpeded wooded wilderness of the North Island.

I felt that we were re-enacting this tradition when we made our own pilgrimage to Elk Falls last weekend. As we stepped out of the car we were greeted by the long complex call of the winter wren (a tiny brown woodland bird with a big song) singing above the dull roar of the waterfall. On the edge of the parking lot we saw some nice colt’s foot in bloom, studded with pink-white flowers.

We headed down to the falls first; along a trail that wends its way through some towering old growth firs and cedars. Reminiscent of Cathedral Grove, the virgin timber at Elk Falls Park is just a small remnant of the huge trees that, in pre-logging times, covered much of Vancouver Island. A fenced viewing platform, to keep folks from teetering over the brink, overlooks these impressive falls.

Continuing upstream from the falls, there is a spot where one can go out on the flat rocks along the river’s edge (these can be slippery so caution is advised), and overlook the river and some bluffs on the other side, which are covered with cushy looking pelts of yellow-green moss. I noticed that there is an abundance of mosses covering rocks and stumps along this lush riverside trail.

Though not as impressive as Elk Falls, Deer and Moose Falls provide pretty diversions along the rest of the loop trail. This is great habitat for one of my favourite birds, the American Dipper, and we were lucky to see one of these on our walk. This dark grey, aquatic songbird often sits on rocks in fast flowing streams or rivers and bobs up and down with its tail comically raised. Dippers feed on small aquatic insects like stoneflies or mayflies, and they are adept at swimming through the water.

We enjoyed a few spring flowers along the trail, including some attractive yellow violets, and good displays of yellow skunk cabbage. There are no skunks on Vancouver Island, so if you notice a skunky smell in the air, skunk cabbage is likely the culprit. I always associate this smell with spring, so to me it isn’t entirely unpleasant. The plant is large and impressive, with a tropical flare. Shiny green leaves fan out from the base, giving rise to a spike of yellow-green flowers shielded by a large yellow hood-like bract. The skunk odour attracts small flies and other insects, which effectively pollinate the plant.

Close to the skunk cabbage patch, a series of switchbacks lead up a bank to the picnic area. From here, one can find a trail that links back to the waterfall parking lot, or loop back along the road.

Elk Falls Provincial Park is only a 10-minute drive north of Campbell River. Follow Highway 28 (towards Gold River) for about 4 kilometers, then turn right on Brewster Lake Road and continue to the park entrance. The right fork leads down a steep hill to the waterfall parking lot, and the left fork leads to a picnic area in a stand of old growth trees. From the waterfall parking lot, one can do the two kilometre loop walk to see Elk, Deer and Moose Falls, or hike the longer Millennium trail, which leads off from the right side of the parking lot.

Having enjoyed Elk Falls, I’m looking forward exploring more wild places this spring. I marvel at the fact that I can do so by venturing just a short distance from my home.

Filed under Nature Writing | Tags: American Dipper, British Columbia, Campbell River, Deer Falls, Elk Falls, Elk Falls Provincial Park, Moose Falls, Skunk Cabbage, Vancouver Island, Waterfalls | Comment (0)