A day trip to Bridal Veil Falls

Today I’m taking you on a new little adventure in my area! Just a short 45 min away from my front door is one of the most iconic attractions that I hadn’t visited since I was a kid!

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to watch the video as well!

The day all started with a ‘free wood’ post I spotted on Facebook. Turns out, the wood was located ‘near the falls’. Hmm…

Since we’re mandated to stay close to home, I’ve officially challenged myself to see more local sights to keep my sense of adventure on a high.

So I glanced at the weather, which checked out good, then booked the wood pickup and visiting Bridal Veil Falls all in one fell swoop!

But that’s when I thought… wouldn’t this make a great day adventure with my sister? 5 minutes later, we had a date!

Which just so happened to land on my birthday. Which made the day even more special!

So here’s a few details about Bridal Veil Falls, then onto our adventurous day!

A day trip to Bridal Veil Falls

 

How to get to Bridal Veil Falls

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Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park is located in Rosedale, BC, Canada, just East of Chilliwack, and a short 1.5 hours east from Vancouver, BC.

The entire way to the falls is very easy to find since it’s well signed. Just follow the signs in from Highway #1 heading East.

• Follow the Trans-Canada Highway / BC-1 heading East.
• Once just outside of Chilliwack, take exit 135 to BC-9 towards Agassiz / Harrison Hot Springs.
• Keep left at the fork, and follow the signs for Bridal Falls.
• Keep right, follow the signs.
• Turn left onto Bridal Falls Road.
• Turn right onto Page Road.
• Drive to the end of Page Road, and you’ll end up right in the parking lot.

Hours of operation

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• Open 8am to dusk
• Main gate is closed from Nov 1st through March 31st annually.

Since Bridal Veil Falls is prone to freezing during the winter, the falls becomes a wall of unstable ice, with lots of tumbling rocks, making it a dangerous place to visit. So it’s important to heed the winter closure warnings.

We sure lucked out… the falls had just opened a day before we walked through the gate. Perfect timing!

What’s all there?

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• a couple of easy forest trails leading to the falls
• plenty of free parking
• loads of babbling creeks beside plenty of picnic tables
• a large expanse of lawn to enjoy

The park consists of a couple of gorgeous moss-infused forest trails, leading to the falls within about 15 minutes.

Flat smooth trails… all on an incline

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Since it had been years since I’ve taken a day trip to Bridal Veil Falls, I couldn’t remember how difficult the trails were. As luck would have it, they are easy. SO easy!

There are two winding trails that lead to the falls that are both for the most part, flat and smooth. So you don’t need hiking boots although decent supportive shoes are recommended.

The trails wound through the prettiest forest. But how odd that we got winded nearly as soon as we started…

That would be because the entire trail is on an inline. Yup. The entire way to the falls is all slightly uphill.

So if you are (ahem) use to biking on flat surfaces, you may notice you need to stop here and there to catch your breath take in all that pretty scenery.

Forest trail stairs

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And then we came across stairs. Stairs in a forest.

Oh dear. 

Thankfully, there’s also a smooth trail BESIDE the stairs so I could still shuffle my way up the hill.

My sister on the other hand turned athlete on me and did the stairs. Way to go, Wendy!

Dozens of babbling creeks

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The entire hike up to the falls is only a short 15 minute walk. Yay! So that makes for one easy adventure!

But my goodness, the sights and sounds are so amazing. So many shallow babbling creeks keep you company all the way up.

Wait until you hear what we did in the video below…

Moss infused forest

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The forest is like a magical fairyland, with moss covered trees thorough. Stunning, isn’t it?

And so many gorgeous ferns.

Honestly, you’d never know it was even winter because the forest is SO green with the moss and ferns!

No need to wait until summer!

Tree spotting is interesting too. Check out this moss-infused bark. Isn’t the texture and movement the bark takes on astonishingly beautiful?

Wendy spotted a painted rock at the base of this tree. Love those little gems artists leave behind!

And then we heard it… the rush of the falls was fast approaching!

Bridal Veil Falls viewing deck

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At the base of the falls is a fenced area suggesting you view the majestic falls from behind the wooden log rails.

And I say suggest, because most folks walked on past.

Full view of the falls

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But you don’t have to! This view was taken of the falls just above the viewing deck using the zoom feature on my camera.

Isn’t it beautiful?!

Do you see where the name Bridal Veil Falls comes from now? The falls itself is wide taking on a likeness to a bridal veil. Such a stunning view with sounds to match.

Ok, well, I guess I did walk a little higher than I thought. There’s Wendy along with the viewing deck down below. 

But if you make the trek further up the falls, you will need hiking boots or at the very least decent walking shoes. Flip flops will not do here!

The rocky incline is quite steep and gets wetter the closer you get to the spray from the falls.

The falls further away

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I didn’t go all the way up… it was too much effort for this newly turned 59 year old, thank-you.

But it isn’t that hard if you are hiking hands free and take your time.

I later found going up super close wasn’t all that big of a deal…

The falls up closer

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And here’s why. The above view was taken CLOSER to the falls. It looked better from farther away!

So save yourself the trouble. No need to climb to the top to get the best view if you have a zoom feature on your chosen camera.

Once admiring the incredible sights and sounds of the falls, it was time to head back to the parking lot.

There are loads of picnic tables down below, overlooking more babbling creeks along with a gorgeous expanse of lawn. 

We chose to sit on a bench overlooking a creek to enjoy our picnic lunch and chatted the rest of the day away. Just as two sisters should.

Video of the falls

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Click above to watch a short video clip so you can see and hear the rivers and falls! So gorgeous!

I’m so glad we ventured out for a day trip to Bridal Veil Falls. It’s a lovely day trip that is short and sweet with not too much effort while seeing something spectacular!

My kinda adventure these days…

I’ve really overlooked what we have in our own backyard so to speak. So stay tuned for new trails to be found and shared, as well as neighbouring oceanfront communities (and a hopeful trip to Vancouver Island!) when we are given the a-ok to travel around abit one day again soon!

I use to run to Maui any given chance. But staying put is really opening my eyes to what we have right here… without an expensive flight or condo charges (or leaving my cats), so there’s that!

Are you travelling your own given areas as well? What are you discovering?

Other nearby adventures you may enjoy:

 

Visit my most current Vedder River Rotary Trail posts HERE

Get directions to the Vedder River Rotary Trail HERE

A gorgeous forest run through Cheam Lake Wetlands, Rosedale, BC

A weekend stay in a stunning lake cottage at Cultus Lake – includes video tour!

I want to live here!

Visit Flood Falls in Hope, BC

Visit my other local travels HERE