Hiking Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop in Golden Ears
Contents
Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 15.60Km
Elevation Gain: 560m
Highest Elevation: 380m
Average Gradient: 7.18%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 6 – 7 Hours
– Moderate: 5 – 6 Hours
– Fast: 4 – 5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°20’01.8″N 122°27’26.7″W
Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop Overview
Golden Ears Provincial Park is full of great hikes for all ability levels, and the Gold Creek area is likely the most popular area for anybody looking to keep things simple with either a casual stroll to Gold Creek Falls, or a longer but still moderate hike like the East / West Canyon Loop. There is an abundance of hiking options in this area with trails leading all over the place, so I decided to combine many of the better options into one longer yet still manageable hike.
This hike in Golden Ears covers Gold Creek Falls (Lower), the East Canyon, Viewpoint Beach, the West Canyon and the alternative and much less trafficked view of Gold Creek Falls (Lower) on the west side of the creek. This hike covers most of the highlight sights in the Gold Creek area of Golden Ears, though there are certainly options to extend this even further if you want to throw in the upper falls and even Alder Flats. This is the great thing about Golden Ears, you can make any hike as easy or as difficult as you like.
The general setting of the Gold Creek area is a beautiful, lush green forest drenched in moss almost everywhere you look. If you like forest settings, this area is very difficult to beat.
Golden Ears is a year-round destination and I find this area a good option on those rainy/overcast days where you don’t want to slog up a mountain with the potential for no views. That being said, even on a sunny day you get some beautiful views of nearby peaks throughout this hike.
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Is Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop worthwhile?
As a rainy/overcast day option I find this hike through the Gold Creek area to be one of the best options. Even on a sunny day, if you’re not feeling like a difficult hike with significant elevation, this trail offers a moderate workout and some excellent views throughout. Overall this is a great hike and highlights some of the best of what Golden Ears has to offer without the effort it takes on other hikes in the area like Evans Peak or Alouette Mountain
How difficult is the Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop hike?
With just a 7.18% average gradient this hike is pretty straightforward overall. There is nowhere particularly tiring other than a short section connecting the lower falls to the east canyon. Other than that it’s either mostly flat or a moderate incline throughout.
Technically speaking the trail is mostly straightforward. Again the section between lower falls and the east canyon is a little rooty/rocky/slippery and steep so good footwear is a must. The northern section of the west canyon trail is also quite an adventure, with lots of slippery rocks and roots, narrow winding trails next to some mildly exposed drops and whatnot. I wasn’t expecting this but it was a pleasant surprise!
Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop Route Information
The hike begins at the ever popular Gold Creek parking lot, which is probably the busiest area of Golden Ears park as so many trails begin here. If you’re going on a nice day you’ll for sure want to get there early as this parking lot fills up extremely quickly and it’s not the biggest. I generally aim to be in Golden Ears as soon as the gates open to ensure parking.
From the northwest end of the parking lot find the Lower Falls trail, which is well signed. This whole trail to the lower falls is well groomed and mostly a wide gravel path. You could likely push a stroller the entire way to the lower falls as the terrain is so manicured and flat.
The first 1km or so of this hike is a mellow stroll through the forest, which is pretty stunning in itself. It’s one of the greenest forests you’ll likely walk through, with every branch and trunk completely covered in moss. At around 1.2km you’ll reach a small beach along Gold Creek which is accessible and makes for a nice stop for some photos, or if you have a dog or children they can have a play in the creek.
Continuing on, the trail stays much the same. Over the next 1.5km or so you’ll wander next to Gold Creek, cross a few bridges over streams and pass through more beautiful forest scenery. You’ll come out to an area of the creek below the falls, but this isn’t the viewpoint. A couple of hundred meters further along you’ll reach the first viewpoint of Gold Creek Falls, behind a fenced off area. This is probably the best viewpoint of the falls on the east side of the canyon, but a little further along the trail you can actually get above the falls. This involves some travel on slippery rock right above the falls and some people opt not to go, so no need to do so if you don’t want to.
Here, many people simply turn around and head back to their car if they want a flat, easy hike. We’ll be connecting to the east canyon now though. Just by the second falls viewpoint you should see some flagging tape leading steeply up the hillside. You might want to refer to a map to see exactly where this is as it is not an obvious trail at all. Once on it, the trail is very rugged with a lot of slippery rocks and roots, so be careful with footing and take your time.
After a brief 500m climb up this trail you’ll connect with the East Canyon trail, going left at the junction. A couple of hundred meters along this trail will apparently be another junction down to the upper falls. I intended to do this too but I did not see any junction and had no idea I walked past it, only realizing much further along the hike I’d missed it. Anyway, I don’t believe many go there and it’s not as good as lower falls, so maybe some other time.
The East Canyon trail is nothing to get excited about, it’s a wide rocky path that climbs gradually up into the forest. There’s not a lot to see on it, so just keep plodding along and eventually you’ll reach the bridge that connects the East Canyon and West Canyon trail. We’ll be continuing to Viewpoint Beach though, so continue along the East Canyon trail for another kilometer or so until you reach a sign directing to Viewpoint Beach and Half Moon Beach. Half Moon Beach is much further so don’t get tempted, instead go left to Viewpoint Beach.
Unfortunately as I went on a cloudy day the views here were largely muted, but on a clear day you’ll get some lovely views of nearby peaks as well as the beach itself along Gold Creek. I stopped here for some food before leaving. Now you’ll head back the way you came until you reach the bridge over Gold Creek to the West Canyon.
On the other side of the bridge the trail begins to climb gradually and soon reaches a junction to Hikers Beach, which is another possible extension if you are inclined for it. We’ll be continuing on the same trail as it now begins a fairly steep climb. In a few hundred meters you’ll reach another junction where going right will lead to Alder Flats and ultimately Golden Ears Peak, which is a hike worthy of its own full day.
Further along the trail the terrain soon becomes far more rugged. I was anticipating much of the same as the East Canyon, flat and mellow, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the West Canyon was quite the adventure and offered a lot of interesting sights. You’ll pass through some fairly rough terrain here, with a lot of slippery roots, rocks and stairs, at times hugging a cliff edge with some exposure. I’m not sure I would advise kids for this part of the hike as a fall could be consequential.
This rough section continues for around 1km before you’ll reach the Gold Creek Lookout, a viewpoint high above Gold Creek. Unfortunately it was mostly fogged over for me, though judging from photos it doesn’t look like I missed anything too dramatic.
The trail now eases off and starts descending on mostly gravel terrain. Soon you’ll reach another junction where going left will bring you down towards the viewpoint of the lower Gold Creek Falls from the other side of the canyon. This involves a fairly steep descent down towards the creek and then some route finding as the trail is not well marked. Ultimately I basically used my map to figure out where to go here and ended up on a large rock just above the creek, with an awesome view of the falls. That being said, it was difficult, slippery terrain on a rockface right above the creek, so I wouldn’t advise unless you like a bit of adventure. The views of the falls are worth it if you’re inclined for it though.
Unfortunately you’ll now need to climb back up to the West Canyon trail, which is pretty steep, albeit brief.
Back on the West Canyon trail the fun is largely behind you now. The remainder of the trail is a pretty mellow descent back towards the trailhead. You’ll cross several more creeks along the way and eventually reach a junction where the Evans Peak trail turnoff is, signposted the viewpoint trail. A few hundred meters further along the trail you’ll reach a junction going left, just after what appears to be a water storage unit of some sort. This joins the Menzies trail, which is actually a fun little adventure as it meanders through the dense forest along a narrow trail. After a kilometer or so you’ll reach the Golden Ears Parkway and have to walk across the Gold Creek bridge, being careful to avoid any vehicles. Just after the bridge you’ll be back at the Gold Creek parking lot where the hike began.
When should I hike Gold Creek Falls & Canyon Loop?
As with most hikes that remain largely in the forest with few viewpoints, I’d save this one for a cloudy or rainy day. There are some nice views of peaks along this hike that would be improved on a sunny day, but really I prefer to save a sunny day hike for a hike to a summit. Since this is a year-round hike I’d also probably avoid going in the summer when Golden Ears is a gong show.
Top Tip
There are multiple ways to extend or shorten this hike. You can just hike the East and West Canyon trail and avoid the detours to the falls or Viewpoint Beach. You could just hike to Gold Creek Falls (Lower) and back and it would be an extremely easy stroll. To lengthen it you can add Alder Flats, Hikers Beach, Upper Falls and even North Beach.
