Begbie Falls is a cool double waterfall which is surrounded by gorgeous mossy forest and impressive cliffs. There are so many great mini hikes and waterfalls near Revelstoke (in BC, Canada.) Just like my previous post about Sutherland Falls, Begbie Falls is easy to reach, either via a short (5km) hike from the highway, or if you don’t have time to walk down, you can drive to just a couple of hundred meters away.

Begbie Falls Map

This map actually shows the route you can drive in along. The hike down to the falls is about 200m away (you drop about 40m.) If you’d like to hike in from the bluffs, use this other map.

Begbie Falls – the basics

Waterfall details: Double waterfall (as Begbie Creek is split by rocks at the top)
Each side has a drop of 12m.
Cost: Free
How much time do you need: Depends on which route you take. 30 mins if you drive in. 1.5 hours if you hike down.
Facilities: There is a campsite with pit toilets just before you reach the falls.
Good in winter: It looks like you can visit in winter when the falls are frozen.
Mini hike distance: 500m- 5km
You can either hike down from the highway (5km and 240m elevation loss) Or, just drive/walk along Begbie Falls FSR. We hiked in from about 1.5 km away. It was easy and beautiful!
Extra notes: If you drive in, most of this trail is easy…it is just very steep for the final few hundred meters down to the base of the falls. You’ll want shoes with good grip for that part.

Begbie Falls – Getting started

We started by navigating our way to the Begbie Falls FSR. We drove past Mt. Macpherson Recreation Site (another campground) and kept going along the FSR (Forest Service Road) until we reached a bunch of cars parked by the side of the road. We weren’t sure if it would be hard to turn at the end of the FSR, so we parked here and hiked a couple of kilometers in.

Begbie Falls car park

It turns out it would have been fine if we had driven right up to the end of the FSR. There was plenty of space and no other hikers. The other people we had seen along the FSR were all climbers, exploring the really cool cliff faces in the forest.

Which way from the car park?

There is no sign to show the way when you reach the parking area. There are two trails – one right at the end of the parking area, and one by the signboard in my photo above. We chose the trail that was further way – this was wrong! It didn’t really matter as the trail took us to some cool mini waterfalls above the main Begbie Falls.

You can follow this trail along the creek to the top of Begbie Falls. After that, it looked a bit dodgy, so we retraced our steps back to the car park to try again. It’s worth doing this mini detour, as the mossy forest and raging creek were both cool to see.

The correct trail

If you take the trail closest to the signboard, it will take you downhill into the forest for a couple of minutes, then down some steep switch backs. Unlike the other trail, you can’t see the creek.

You’ll know you got it right when you reach the bottom of the switchbacks. There is a sign pointing towards the falls.

Begbie Falls Viewing Platform

There is a cool little viewing platform that provides some of the best views of the falls.

It’s kind of cool to see it, right in the middle of the woodland.

Begbie Falls views

We visited at the end of July (in a very dry year) so it was safe to climb down to the water and see the falls from below. I have seen photos of Begbie Falls in springtime, and it looks incredible! When the waters are raging, it might not be such a good idea to get so close.

Longer walk to Begbie Falls

If you have more time, and fancy doing a longer version of this hike (5km down from the Highway) My blogging friends Josefine and Dominik have a post about the longer hike to Begbie Falls here.

Begbie Falls (like Sutherland Falls) was great as mini adventure near Revelstoke. We were staying in Revelstoke overnight on our road trip from Vancouver; So visiting waterfalls was a great way to stretch our legs after the long drive. The two campsites (one at Begbie Falls and one at Mt. Macpherson Recreation Site on the way there) would also be great bases if you’d like to stay in this area.

Other Waterfalls near Revelstoke

We visited quite a few waterfalls on this (and previous) trip(s). I will add more to the map below as I create posts for them. In case you are looking for other waterfall adventures.

Please click on the pins below if you’d like to save the information for later.