Cascade Falls in Mission is perfect for a family friendly waterfall adventure! Do you love visiting waterfalls on rainy days? How about suspension bridges? What if I told you there is an impressive waterfall near Mission (BC, Canada), that you can reach via an easy trail and get up close to the gushing waters on a suspension bridge!? It is a bit short to count as a hike BUT if you fancy a longer walk, you can pair it with one of the other fabulous waterfall hikes nearby; Like Steelhead Falls or Rolley Falls, or Cliff Falls in Kanaka Creek Regional Park.

It’s also amazing to visit when Cascade Falls freezes over in the winter.

Cascade Falls and Suspension bridge map

This map shows the main trail. You can make this into a mini loop and visit a second smaller waterfall lower down Cascade Creek. See our route here.

Cascade Falls – The basics

Distance: Less than 1km – 700m(ish)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 60m
High Point: 190m
Time: 30 mins
What to bring:  
You don’t need much – just make sure you have grippy shoes as it can be slippery.
Facilities: There are loos, a covered picnic area and plenty of room to park
Dogs: Dog friendly
How hard is it? Easy. This isn’t really a hike – you can reach the waterfall in 10 minutes.

Cascade Falls Getting started

Cascade Falls Regional Park is located 25km from Mission. The prettiest route to reach the park (from Mission) is via Stave Lake Rd and then turn off left onto Sylvester road. From that turning, it is 10km to the trailhead. There is plenty of space to park, and the trail starts at the far side of the car park.

Easy trail to Cascade Falls

This regional park has really well maintained trails (paid for by a local hydroelectric power company.) There are fences to keep children away from the steep gorge below the falls. The main trail is gravel, followed by series of beautifully built steps and bridges.

Cascade Falls Suspension Bridge

Once you make it to the top of the steps, you’ll see the Cascade Falls Suspension Bridge. This leads to a wooden viewing platform up close to the waterfall.

Getting up close to Cascade Falls

We stopped for a cup of tea at the viewpoint. This was fabulous in the springtime. I am now very tempted to visit again in winter when the falls have frozen!

This is the view looking down from the suspension bridge in the other direction, to the gorge below the waterfall.

How busy is Cascade Falls

I have heard that this is a popular spot, but we had it all to ourselves at 9:30am on a Sunday in June(!) I guess the trick is to visit on a rainy day. It seems like this waterfall is popular in the winter when the falls have frozen as it is so easy to reach.

Visit the lower falls?

Most people just visit the main Cascade Falls… but if you fancy exploring a little further down Cascade Creek, there are some other smaller waterfalls. Return to the parking area and take the trail opposite the outhouses. Go past the picnic area to the creek, then climb up the rocks to the left to see the extra waterfalls.

Picnic area

There is a nice, covered picnic area down by the creek.

Frozen Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls is a great waterfall to visit when the temperature drops and the waterfall turns to ice. The trail is so short that it is not too hard to reach, even on icy cold days.

I love the way the ice and icicles covers the cliffs around Cascade Falls and the way pools of icy blue water open out in the lower falls. It is all gorgeous.

Cascade Falls Regional Park is a lovely spot to visit on a rainy day. I have a feeling it would also be pleasant in the sunshine, but you’d need to share the views with crowds of people. Do you like the look of it in the rain, or would you prefer to save this for a sunny day?

I hope you like the look of this waterfall as much as we did! Or, if you’re looking for other fantastic waterfalls near Vancouver, there are lots more!

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