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Trip 241 - April 29, 2022 (Friday)

Cliff Gilker Park Visit

Off BC Highway 101 on Sunshine Coast Between Gibsons and Sechelt

 

Cliff Gilker Park Location: BC Sunshine Coast, off Highway 101, approximately 12 km South of Sechelt, and 12 km North of Gibsons.

Liked: Two very fine waterfalls, numerous pleasant easy paths in the forest, creek canyon (as small as it is), several spots of spectacular mess of fallen trees and debris in the creek, shade, no bugs.

Of Note: Uneven ground on trails, exposed rocks and roots, noise from Highway 101 in some parts of the park, several trails and bridges are closed due to storm damage.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Backroad Mapbook (5th edition) Park Coordinates: Page 10 (Gibsons) B6.

Related Website: Cliff Gilker Park - Sunshine Coast Regional District Official Website.

 

Cliff Gilker Park is a large wooded area located on BC Sunshine Coast in Roberts Creek area just off Highway 101 halfway between Gibsons and Sechelt. It is Sunshine's Coast answer to Vancouver's Pacific Spirit Park, in that both of these parks are quite big, have a whole lot of long and short intersecting trails, and feature pretty much the same kind of vegetation.

Cliff Gilker Park has fewer people than Pacific Spirit, and also features two very neat waterfalls - a small and a small-to-medium size ones. The park map actually shows four waterfalls, but we only found two. Also, if you are a fan of spectacular messes left by fallen trees and other debris, Cliff Gilker Park got you covered, as there are several very, very messy spots in the creek canyon, which is quite shallow and narrow, but, nonetheless.

Once you enter into the woods from the parking lot, the first waterfall is right there, only a few hundred meters away. The second (smaller) one is about 600 meters away, and you would need to walk clockwise along the creek to get to it in the quickest way possible.

Finally, and it certainly won't fly in Vancouver (sorry to say), but Cliff Gilker Park has a free standing AED machine just sitting in a box on an outside wall of a building in the parking lot. So, if you are driving between Gibsons and Sechelt, or visiting the park, and all of a sudden need an AED, there is one waiting for you right there 24/7/365.

1. Here is a Google Map of Cliff Gilker Park.

2. We are Northbound on BC Highway 101, with Gibsons about 12 km behind us, and Sechelt 12 km ahead, getting ready to turn right to Cliff Gilker Park.


BC Highway 101 North Between Gibsons and Sechelt

3. Right away there would be a few parking spots and an information board, but a larger parking lot seen below is a few hundred meters further. Coordinates: N 49⁰25.800' W 123⁰38.501. Elevation: 102 meters. The parking is free.


Cliff Gilker Park Parking Area Sunshine Coast British Columbia Canada

4. Cliff Gilker Park Information Board. Biking is not permitted. There are a whole lot more trails than shown on the map, but, perhaps, they are outside the park boundaries.


Cliff Gilker Park Information Board

5. Just behind the info board.


Cliff Gilker Park Between Sechelt and Gibsons BC Canada

6. A fine gazebo. There is also a large playing field to the left.


Cliff Gilker Park Gazebo

7. Here is that playing field, with a picnic area in the foreground.


Cliff Gilker Park Picnic Area

8. At the end of the parking lot, on the right side, is the entrance to a very large forest. Here is that AED, by the way.


AED in Cliff Gilker Park off BC Highway 101 between Gibsons and Sechelt

9. The entrance to the forest with its many paths and a few busted bridges.


Cliff Gilker Park British Columbia Canada

10. The first waterfall view is literally 50 meters away. Here you can see it behind the trees.


Cliff Gilker Park near Gibsons BC Canada

11-12. And here is a slightly zoomed and a bit more than that zoomed views of the first waterfall from the upper viewing platform.


Cliff Gilker Park Main Waterfall

Here is our video of the views from this location.

13. Walk for a few hundred meters, and, from a platform seen far ahead in the photo below...


Cliff Gilker Park near Sechelt British Columbia

14. ...see the first waterfall from its bottom viewpoint.


Waterfall in Cliff Gilker Park

Here is our video of the views from this location.

15. A bridge to connect to the trail on the other side is badly damaged, so retrace your steps to the upper viewpoint and continue clockwise to get to the second waterfall.


Cliff Gilker Park

16. A neat view of a bridge and a creek canyon en route to the second waterfall.


Cliff Gilker Park near Sechelt BC Canada

17. A spectacular mess indeed.


Cliff Gilker Park - Sunshine Coast - British Columbia - Canada

18. A bit further.


Cliff Gilker Park Between Sechelt and Gibsons on British Columbia Sunshine Coast

19. Just a good creek view.


Cliff Gilker Park - Province of British Columbia

20-21. Another busted bridge. It's a marker too, as the second waterfall arrives very soon after this bridge.


Busted Bridge - Cliff Gilker Park

22-23. And here it is, a fine little waterfall. Hike clockwise and keep the creek to your right, and you will get to it in about 600 meters from the parking lot.


Cliff Gilker Park Small Waterfall

Here is our video of the views from this location.

More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel.

24. Creek canyon past the waterfall.


Cliff Gilker Park

We did not quite know what to expect in Cliff Gilker Park, and were pleasantly surprised by the waterfalls and many fine trails. You can spend as little as a few minutes here and see the first waterfall, or hours and hours hiking numerous intersecting trails. Highly recommended.


BACK: Mount Killam Trail Page 2    NEXT: Surrey Bend Regional Park


Other Trips on BC Sunshine Coast:

Gibsons BC Visit

Hidden Grove Visit


Smuggler Cove Trail


 


Smuggler Cove Park


 

Francis Point Park

Pender Hill Trail



 


Mount Daniel Trail


 

 


      

 

ihikebc.com Trip 241 - Cliff Gilker Park Visit (Between Sechelt and Gibsons)