If you are staying at the Quinsam Campground within Elk Falls Provincial Park, there are a few lovely trails to explore while you are there. We really liked the Canyon View trail that meanders along the Campbell River through the impressive Canyon that has been carved out by Elk Falls. Once you’ve made it to the furthest point of this hike, you’ll be rewarded by the fabulous views of Elk Falls from the suspension bridge.

You can also skip the hike and drive up to Elk Falls, but this trail was so relaxing and pleasant, that it’s very much worth the extra time.

Canyon View trail to Elk Falls map

Canyon Trail to Elk Falls – the basics

Distance: 5.8km for the loop around the Canyon.
10 km to the falls and back
Over 13km for the route we recorded including the loop to Deer Falls and Moose Falls.
Cumulative Elevation gain: 320m
Time: 3-4 hours
What to bring: The 10 Essentials.
Facilities: There are loos at the campground as well as at Elk Falls.
Dogs: Great for dogs, but you must keep them on a lead
How hard is it? Pretty easy, but includes some steps for the elevation gain.
Extra notes: This is the “salmon capital of the world”, so you can expect to see people fishing. Be on the lookout for wildlife like bears as well! This is a well travelled trail, but it’s best to chat and make noise while you walk (to avoid sneaking up on a bear.)

Start at Quinsam Campground

Firstly, the Campsite itself is lovely! I have a whole post about it if you’d like to find out more. If you are not camping, there is an area to park at the edge of the Campground, just off Campbell River Road. From there, cross the road and find the trail along the river. We headed to the closest bridge  and hiked along the North side of the river first.

As soon as you reach the Campbell River, you’ll see lots of families on the beaches and plenty of people fishing!

I love all the river views along this trail, and the calming sound of the water, with occasional splashes from fish.

Salmon in the Campbell River

There’s a sign along the way that showed information about the types of Salmon that you might see here. The five types of pacific salmon are chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, and pink. The other two mentioned on the sign were Cutthroat and Steelhead, which are both trout.

• This site is really interesting to show the lifecycle of Pacific salmon
• I love this one for showing what each species looks like

Listen for sirens

Just as an extra note, the John Hart Generating Station is further up the river, by Elk Falls. They have sirens to let people know about possible sudden increases of flow in the river. If you hear a siren, please leave the edge of the river and get up on the river bank.

The pathway for the Canyon View trail is wide, well maintained and easy to follow. It does have quite a few steps, so it seems to be popular as a work out hike for locals.

Footbridge over the Canyon

The far west side of the Canyon View trail has a sturdy footbridge over the canyon. It’s a great spot to look down into the canyon and see fantastic views of the Campbell River from above.

Keep going to Elk Falls?

This bridge is the turn around point for the Canyon View trail, but if you fancy it, you can continue on for a further 2km to reach Elk Falls. I strongly recommend continuing on to the waterfall as it is truly impressive.

We found that the section of trail between the footbridge and waterfall has loads of huckleberries as well as oregon grapes (don’t eat those ones!)

To reach Elk Falls, follow the Millennium trail the whole way.

Once you reach Elk Falls, there is a fun (wobbly) suspension bridge with incredible views. There is also another loop trail, that will take you to two further waterfalls, Deer Falls and Moose Falls. I have a whole post about Elk Falls if you’d like further details.

Heading Back

Once you have taken a good look at the waterfalls, follow the Millennium trail back the way you came, and then turn right just before you get back to the the footbridge over the canyon. There are steps back down to the river, next to the John Hart Generating Station.

Before you head back along the canyon trail, have a look at the totems. These are a symbol of the collaboration between BC Hydro and the We Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum Nations. These groups worked together on the planning and construction of the John Hart Generating Station Replacement project.

The final 1.5km back to the campground is a bit easier. It’s quite flat, but gives you plenty of good views of the river.

All in all, the Canyon View trail from Quinsam Campground to Elk Falls is a lovely, easy-ish trail that is a great introduction to the Campbell River area. Click on the pins below to save this post for later.