Little Qualicum Falls – Vancouver Island
Little Qualicum Falls is a gorgeous waterfall close to Parksville on Vancouver Island. This is one of the many great stops along the way if you are road tripping between Nanaimo and Tofino. Rather than one large waterfall, this is a series of three tiered plunges, as well as a bunch of smaller drops. The waterfalls are surrounded by old growth forest full of giant douglas fir trees and beautiful arbutus trees with peeling bark. It’s a gorgeous area!
Little Qualicum Falls Map
Little Qualicum Falls – the basics
The most impressive part is the upper falls, so if you are short on time, go straight there. My description goes to the lower falls first so the views and cascades get more and more impressive as you walk.
Distance: 2km (or 3.4 km if you start from the campground)
Cumulative Elevation gain: 80-95m
Highest Point: 169m
Time: 40 mins – 1 hour (we recorded 35 mins moving time on strava)
What to bring: The 10 Essentials
Facilities: There is a loo at the trailhead and at the campground if you go that way.
Dogs: Great for dogs, but you should keep them on a lead
How hard is it? Super easy. There are some steep drops, but it’s a pleasant, easy walk.
Waterfall details:
The main Little Qualicum Falls is impressive for a location that is so easy to reach. The waterfall has three drops of 6m, 8m and 3m in height, each falling into deep pools within a narrow twisting canyon.
Waterfall Type: Triple punchbowl set of falls with tiered plunges
Total Height: 17m (55ft)
Tallest Drop: 8m (25ft)
Stream: Little Qualicum River
The lower falls is 500m downriver from the main waterfall. It is not quite as impressive as the upper falls, so it’s best to see this one first!
Waterfall Type: Plunging punchbowl
Total Height: 5m (15ft)
Stream: Little Qualicum River
Little Qualicum Falls- Getting started
The waterfalls (and the park) are just off Highway 4 between the famous goats on the roof (Coombs) and Cameron Lake. There is plenty of space to park. Follow the sign down some stairs to the “lower falls.”
Lower Falls
It doesn’t take long (it’s less than 200m) to reach the first view of the Lower Falls. You will cross a small bridge with slightly obstructed views of the first waterfall.
There is also a mini bonus trail to a viewpoint slightly further down the river where you can see just how turquoise the water can be.
You can really see the river carving its way through the canyon.
Once you’re ready, start following the path upstream. If you look to the left there is a viewpoint where you can look down at the top of the Lower Falls. This view is a bit more impressive up close with the crashing waters.
Just be careful at this mini viewpoint as the canyon cliffs are steep, and the path has massive steps steps. Even long legs need to stretch to climb up!
Back to the main path, it’s just a few hundred meters to the main waterfalls. Turn left before the bridge, as there is an open area with loads of viewing areas looking down to the falls.
Little Qualicum Falls Views
The best viewpoint is at the lowest platform, where you can look back at the tiered plunges. The path wiggles around this area so you can see the falls from all angles/directions.
As always, these waterfalls look much better in real life!
And here is the moving version from insta:
View this post on Instagram
This trail is a loop, so once you’ve taken in the views, cross the bridge and take the path to the left. There are a few more fantastic viewpoints of the fabulous falls. After the final view of the canyon, it’s only about 400m stroll back to the parking area.
Once you see the lovely covered picnic area, you’re back to where you started.
Camping
It’s possible to stay at the (pretty large) campground in this beautiful area. Little Qualicum Falls Park Campground has 96 campsites open from mid April to mid October (for $23 per night in 2024.) You can book up to 4 months advance here, and there are a few sites available first come first served.
I hope you like the look of Little Qualicum Falls. It was a really lovely stop on our roadtrip to Tofino. I’ll be writing about more waterfalls, mini hikes and adventures from our Vancouver Island Road trip over the next few weeks. If you’d like to save this post for later, please click on the pins below.
13 thoughts on “Little Qualicum Falls – Vancouver Island”
What a beautiful place to visit! Love your photos and IG video.
This seems like such a great hike. The pictures are breathtaking and make me want to spend some time in nature! There is nothing better than a good hike outdoors.
I love hiking in Canada. The water is always so brilliant and blue!
I love tiered falls and it’s cool how they look from the different viewpoints. It sounds like an awesome loop!
This looks like an amazing place to visit. Loved your photos and the video.
What’s the best trail for first-timers?
A pretty waterfall on an easy trail close to Vancouver; this is one I would love to do. Thanks for the tip.
Nothing beats nature with waterfalls as a bonus! Nice job, you.
The loop trail looks awesome and I love the waterfall views.
How have I not heard about this waterfall?! This looks amazing. I had to add it to my Google Maps — definitely checking this out when I’m in the area!
There are so many good ones near here! Another one to add to your google map (I’ll get to writing about it soon) is Englishman’s falls. It’s a short walk and the falls flow into a chasm in the ground. It looks so epic!
You find the prettiest places to hike! I so much prefer loop trails to out and back for the variety.
Who doesn’t love waterfalls? I enjoyed reading this and love everything about this hike, from the cute, barely-there rainbow in the first picture to the fabulous views. I wish I could hear the sound of the waterfall running down.