Trail: Kanaka Creek to Cliff Falls
Distance: 2.8 km in and out
Location: Maple Ridge
Distance from Vancouver: Approximately 50 minutes
Directions with a link to google map: Click here
Ages of Children hiking: 2,3,4,6,7,9,10
Adults: 2
Stroller friendly: Not particularly-there are a few stairs
Dog friendly: Yes, on leash
Bathrooms: Yes
Time it took to complete: 2.5 hours
Jelly Bean Rating: 2/5
Month: August 2018
Maple Ridge, British Columbia is an absolute gold mine of nature goodness.
Golden Ears park boasts trail upon trail within incredible mountains and views. On the outskirts of one of the most beautiful provincial parks in British Columbia there are hidden gems for the outdoor enthusiast that need to be visited.
Among these hidden gems is Kanaka Creek.
Located off Dewdney Trunk road, Kanaka Creek is beautiful, for a lack of a better description.
Once you’re in the parking lot of Kanaka Creek you’ll find bathrooms. Yep-gotta love those when you’re a parent, eh?
You’ll also find picnic benches, a wondrous creek, and a path to a fish hatchery. Are you sold yet??
At first, we went to the fish hatchery to check that out. We walked our way there to find that there was nothing there at the time. We explored the grounds a little bit and headed back to find the trail from Kanaka Creek to Cliff Falls.
There’s a great map posted at the parking lot that will indicate exactly where to go. We followed the map across the road to find the trail from Kanaka Creek to Cliff Falls. *The road you need to cross isn’t terribly busy, but people do tend to go quickly. Keep a close eye on your kids here.
The trail is well marked on the other side of the street.
The trail is wide and even terrain. There are some fences signs posted along the way reminding trail users to please stay on the trail because of steep drop offs. We chatted with our kids about trail signs and how important they are to follow because they’re definitely there for a reason!
The Kanaka Creek to Cliff Falls trail is fun! There are loads of bridges and stairs and fallen logs to look at. The kids had an absolute blast trying to determine what would be next!
The trail is also very well marked. It’s clear exactly where you’re supposed to go to get to Cliff Falls.
When we got close we gave the kids the option of turning back or going to Cliff Falls. 7/7 said go to Cliff Falls!
Onward we went!
We came to a bridge that I felt deeply compelled to hold my kid’s hands on. It’s not a dangerous bridge, but my kids tend to climb everything, including very high bridges. We stopped to check things out and carried on to the next big bridge.
Once we passed both bridges we went to the viewing point of Cliff Falls! We alllllllll wanted to get lower down the canyon to explore more but it’s cleat that it’s prohibited. There don’t appear to be any trails down to the water, so we enjoyed from behind the fence!
Here’s what they were looking at:
We stopped at the picnic tables for snacks, of course. Is any trip complete without a medley of food for the kids? Nope, didn’t think so.
There’s a huge fire pit located among the picnic tables that makes you think of the most fun fall party imaginable in a beautiful spot. It was unusable, but I’m not entirely sure if it was temporary due to wildfire season or not.
Once we were finished eating (for 15 minutes) we started making our way back the way we came.
The trail was easy to motivate the kids to get through. They genuinely enjoyed going on this trail as there was always something cool to look at. When we got back to the parking lot at Kanaka Creek we let them explore a little while longer and then headed home!
Jellybean Rating Summary for Kanaka Creek
Kanaka Creek to Cliff Falls gets a 2/5 on our Jellybean Rating. It’s a decently long trail, but the elevation gain is achievable for any age group. This trail keeps kids engaged the whole time. There’s SO much to see. If you need to take a break and go explore the creek there are many options to do so, but there’s enough on the trail to keep them going! It’s a fantastic place to spend a day or just go to to the parking lot area and explore the creek. I highly recommend taking the kids here!!
Have fun!
XO
Sam