Hiking Rolley Lake & Rolley Falls in Mission
Contents
Rolley Lake & Falls Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Easy
Distance: 5.70Km
Elevation Gain: 153m
Highest Elevation: 251m
Average Gradient: 5.36%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 2 – 3 Hours
– Moderate: 1.5 – 2 Hours
– Fast: 1 – 1.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Rolley Lake & Falls Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°14’30.4″N 122°23’20.3″W
Rolley Lake & Falls Overview
Rolley Lake Provincial Park is a small but scenic park located in Mission, BC. While being one of the smaller provincial parks, it’s very popular nonetheless, particularly with families, anglers and dog walkers. The park is open year-round and boasts 64 campsites (seasonal) and is focused around the picturesque Rolley Lake.
While Rolley Lake is a predominantly flat provincial park, and would barely register on many hikers radars, it is actually possible to get a short hike in the area if you combine the mostly flat loop around the lake with the optional extension of Rolley Falls, which is where almost all of the elevation is on this hike.
Obviously the main sight along this hike is Rolley Lake, which is a picturesque spot in itself. Many people enjoy kayaking, swimming and fishing at the lake year-round, especially on a sunny summer day. Rolley Falls, however, is a worthy addition and I was pleasantly surprised as I wasn’t expecting a lot in all honesty.
Obviously you aren’t going to get a whole lot of views other than the lake and the falls, and I like to keep Rolley Lake in my back pocket for a rainy or overcast day when you’re not going to get any views from the summit of a mountain. It’s a great option for hiking with children, or as an introduction to hiking in BC for somebody new to it. It’s also dog friendly and you will likely see many dog walkers throughout your visit.
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Is Rolley Lake & Falls worthwhile?
Rolley Lake is more of a pleasant walk in nature than a hike, with much of the trail well groomed, simple travel. The optional extension to Rolley Falls is far steeper and more rugged, but well worth the effort. If you are just looking for something simple with pleasant views, or like me, just looking to get out in nature on a rainy day, Rolley Lake & Falls is a worthy stop. There are many short hikes in the area around Mission as well, so it’s easy to combine Rolley Lake with something else, such as Cascade Falls or Steelhead Falls.
How difficult is the hike to Rolley Lake & Falls?
Obviously this is a simple hike by pretty much all metrics. The loop around the lake is basically completely flat. Once you’re on the north east end of the lake you have the option of detouring to Rolley Falls, where the trail becomes rugged and actually quite steep, albeit briefly. You’ll be out of breath in parts around the falls but it’s not for long.
Technically the trail is very straightforward around the lake and gets quite rugged around the falls. At times the trail is very narrow, somewhat overgrown and steep in this area, but it’s mostly simple overall.
Rolley Lake & Falls Route Information
Rolley Lake has a large amount of day use parking, which is evident of just how popular this park can get in the summer. I went on a rainy spring day so it was nowhere near full, but I can only assume it can be packed with families and picnickers on a sunny weekend, so an early start is advisable if that’s when you’re going.
From the parking lot the trail leads to the left, passing the beach and several picnic tables on the way. After a couple of hundred meters following the trail through the forest you’ll reach an opening onto a boardwalk on the southwest of the lake. This is a really picturesque area and perhaps one of the better views along the trail, so don’t rush through it.
You’ll pass through some marshland and a few benches for sitting and enjoying the view, before re-entering the forest a couple of hundred meters later. After crossing a creek and passing by a little pond you’ll now be on a long, flat passing by the entire north end of the lake. Unfortunately the views here are mostly blocked by trees, but it’s still a pleasant stroll through some beautiful greenery.
After around 1km of following the northern side of the lake, you’ll reach an opening in the forest that provides some nice forest views, before turning to the right. After a couple of hundred meters you’ll reach a junction where you can either continue along the loop back to the parking lot, or go left towards Rolley Falls.
Assuming you’re going to the falls, go left and after a couple of hundred meters you’ll come out at the campgrounds. Go left here and you should immediately see a sign pointing towards Rolley Falls, which you’ll follow back into the forest. The trail will now become far more rugged than it was around the lake, narrowing significantly to a single file and passing through mud and over roots and rocks. After a couple of hundred meters you should reach a junction where you can either go left or right, the trail now becomes a loop around the waterfall. I went right, going counter clockwise, so I will describe that way.
The trail now begins to descend quite steeply on a more open trail. After a few hundred meters of descending you’ll reach a point above the Florence Lake Road where you might see some traffic. You should see a narrow trail leading off to the left, zig zagging steeply down a narrow trail leading towards the road, passing by Rolley Creek in the process.
Once at the road you’ll cross the bridge over Rolley Creek, before seeing the trail continue into the forest on the other side. The trail now begins to climb quite steeply and at times it’s loosely defined, with people seemingly choosing which way to go of their own accord. A couple of hundred meters after leaving the road you should come to a point where a loosely defined trail leads towards Rolley Creek, offering some nice views of the somewhat distant Rolley Falls. I was surprised how large these falls were, it’s just a shame you can’t get closer.
Continuing along the trail you’ll keep climbing and you’ll soon have another somewhat obscured view of the falls. In a few hundred meters more you’ll cross a bridge over Rolley Creek, with a nice view of a smaller waterfall that makes for some nice photos. In a couple of hundred meters more you’ll finish the loop around Rolley Falls and be back on the trail that now leads back towards the campgrounds. You’ll essentially now retrace your steps back towards the junction where you left Rolley Lake.
Once at this junction you’ll now simply follow the lake loop back towards the parking lot along the south side of the lake. There are a few places you can get down to the lake on this part of the trail, but for most part it’s a simple stroll on a gravel trail. After around 1km more you will be back at the car having completed the lake loop.
When should I hike Rolley Lake & Falls?
Rolley Lake is a year-round provincial park at low elevation, so you can really go whenever you want. I prefer to keep this in mind for a cloudy or rainy day as much of the trail is tree covered, and the views won’t be ruined even in poor weather. The park can be very busy on a sunny summer day, at which point I would personally prefer to be hiking a more significant objective than Rolley Lake.
Top Tip
The loop around the lake is very obvious and wouldn’t require a map, but if you intend to go to the falls I do suggest a map as the trail here is poorly maintained, not that well marked and somewhat confusing to follow.
Be careful around Rolley Falls, especially with children, as there are many man made, slippery trails going close towards the creek.
