Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

This easy hike near Vancouver ends with a waterfall that will take your breath away

Located on the drive to Whistler, Brandywine Falls is extremely easy to reach, however, it is no less spectacular for that reason.

 Photo: ckris.james / Photo: ckris.james / Instagram

Located on the drive to Whistler, Brandywine Falls is extremely easy to reach, however, it is no less spectacular for that reason.

Indeed, these cascading waters drop an astonishing 70 metres into the surrounding cavern, which makes for an awe-inspiring sight. What's more, they jet out of a stately cliff that it covered in trees. In addition, the cliffs feature beautiful, ancient rockslides that have crumbled from the walls over hundreds of years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bow56EnBfXZ/?utm_source=ig_embed

The best place to view the triumphant rapids is adjacent to BC Highway 99 between Garibaldi and Whistler. From here, a short, half-hour hike leads visitors down a walking path where they may view the falls from another area as well as the surrounding area of Daisy Lake and the Black Tusk.

Specifically, the falls are best viewed from the new viewing platform which is perched high on the edge of a volcanic escarpment.

No one is completely sure about how the falls got their name, but BC Parks offers the following explanation:

"two surveyors (Jack Nelson and Bob Mollison) for the Howe Sound and Northern Railway made a wager for a bottle of brandy about who could estimate more accurately the height of the falls. When the height was actually measured with a chain it was Mollison who won the bottle of brandy and Nelson then named the falls Brandywine,"

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjh23XOgEoh/?tagged=brandywinefalls

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpBdZDJgWQV/?tagged=brandywinefalls

While the trails are relatively easy, you should stay behind fences and away from the river’s edge. Furthermore, you should exercise caution when crossing the Canadian National Rail line.

These trails are not maintained during the winter, and therefore may present some greater risks.

Pets must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings.