Location: Off BC Highway 16, near the town of Smithers.
Liked: Easy
access to the trailhead, Left waterfall view.
Of Note:
If you decide to hike to the base of the
waterfall, a tricky rock climbing section might be a serious obstacle
for some people. Hiking poles and boots are recommended.
Northern BC Backroad Mapbook (3rd edition) Twin
Falls Recreation Site
Coordinates: Page 35 (Moricetown)
G5.
Twin Falls Recreation Site features four camping spots, two pit toilets,
a garbage bin, and an information board. It is also where the trailhead
for both Glacier Gulch Trail and Twin Falls Trail is located. We have
covered Glacier Gulch Trail
in our previous trip report, and that's where you can find the directions
on getting to Twin Falls Recreation Site. Twin Falls Trail is not nearly
as tough or as long as Glacier Gulch. In fact, you can get away without
hiking poles and boots, if all you want is to get to the waterfalls
observation platform, located within five minutes from the start of the
trail. Granted, the path is a bit rough, but not complicated at all.
However, should you wish to proceed to the bottom of a very impressive
Left waterfall, there is a short but very tricky rock climbing section
there, which would require a certain level of dexterity to navigate
successfully.
1. We are at Twin Falls Recreation Site. This is the same photo as photo
#5 of Glacier Gulch Trip
Report.
Twin Falls Recreation Site near Smithers BC Canada
2. A look at one of the camping spot to the left of where we took the
photo above.
Camping Spot at Twin Falls Recreation Site near Smithers British Columbia
3. Here is a map of Twin Falls Trail. The tricky climbing section is
located just after the bench symbol near the top of the map.
Map of Twin Falls Recreation Site and Trail near Smithers BC
4. After keeping right at the split where a left turn would lead to the
beginning of Glacier Gulch Trail, we have reached another split, seen
below. To the
left is a short trail to the observation platform. And, to the right, is
an even shorter trail to the river (which comes from the Left waterfall),
and to a spot where you can take a good look at the Right waterfall,
which barely trickled on this day.
Twin Falls trail near Smithers British Columbia Canada
5. There is another table at that observation spot, but there wasn't
much to see - the Right waterfall barely existed.
Bench at the Right waterfall viewpoint - Twin Falls trail near Smithers
BC
6. So, we returned to the split seen in photo #4, and took the path on
the left.
Twin Falls trail to the observation platform
7. The path to the observation platform.
Twin Falls trail near Smithers BC Canada
8. Approaching the platform.
Twin Falls trail observation platform
9. A view from the observation platform. The sun is shining at you for
most of the day, and affects the view. The Left waterfall looked fine,
while the Right one wasn't doing too well.
View of Twin Falls from observation platform - near Smithers BC
10. A view of the Right waterfall from the Twin Falls observation
platform.
Right waterfall seen from Twin Falls observation platform near Smithers
BC
11. Looking back from the observation platform.
Looking back from Twin Falls observation platform near Smithers BC
Canada
12. Most people turn around and go back at this point, but the path
continues past the observation platform towards the bottom of the Left
waterfall.
Path to the Left waterfall - Twin Falls trail near Smithers British
Columbia
13. Within a few minutes, this table signals the end of the easy stuff.
Table at the Twin Falls trail near Smithers British Columbia Canada
14. Just beyond the table, there is that tricky stretch we were talking
about.
Tough stretch of Twin Falls trail near Smithers BC Canada
15. One wrong move, and things would go South in a hurry.
Dangerous part of Twin Falls trail near Smithers BC Canada
16. There are steps in the rock face, but a certain level of dexterity
is required for a safe passage.
Twin Falls trail near Smithers BC
16. Past this stretch, the path is just a touch more complicated that
the path to the observation platform. The biggest danger is getting wet
from the mist coming from the Left waterfall. One last look at the Right
waterfall before the main attraction of this short hike would appear in
all of its glory.
View of Right waterfall from Twin Falls trail near Smithers British
Columbia
17. And here it is, the Left waterfall. We stopped about fifty meters
before the waterfall to avoid getting drenched.
Left waterfall - Twin Falls trail - near Smithers British Columbia
Canada
Twin Falls Trail is very short, and leads to a good view from the
observation platform, and an even better view from the bottom of the
Left waterfall, though the latter requires going past a fairly dangerous
stretch of the trail.