A quiet Wednesday at Goldstream Park and a waterfall most people don't know is actually called Niagara Falls.
I pulled into Goldstream Park on a Wednesday morning expecting the usual scramble for parking. It’s right off the Trans-Canada Highway between Victoria and Nanaimo and one of the busiest park stops on the south island, so the lot is almost always packed, especially with summer creeping closer.
Today, it was nearly empty, which had me already looking forward to having the falls mostly to myself.
The parking lot puts you next to the day-use area, which has flat, wide, accessible paths that follow the Goldstream River through old-growth trees.
There’s a big day-use picnic area with many tables, a covered shelter, running water and washrooms, all set under a canopy of old cedars that keep it shaded even in summer.
At the end of the main trail, you’ll find a visitor centre with hands-on exhibits, taxidermy displays and a salmon life cycle station that’s especially good if you’ve got kids in tow.
I thought I would start by heading to the end of the main trail, where the river opens up to Saanich Inlet. Here, I found the visitor centre was open and had the chance to look at some of the displays, the store and chat with the staff for a bit. They were great, the kind of people who clearly love working there.
On the way back, I cut down toward the dry riverbed that runs under the highway. This is the part most people second-guess.
The tunnel looks dark, the walls are covered in graffiti, there’s no signage telling you you’re going the right way, and it kind of feels like you shouldn’t be there. You should.
In winter and after heavy rain, water can flow through, and sometimes it’s impassable. Most of the year, the bed is dry, and it’s easy to access.
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On the other side of the tunnel, the dry riverbed just keeps going, which is the part that confuses people. I often get the question, if you’re walking to a waterfall, where’s the water? I don’t know the answer.
It’s a short walk before the banks rise up around you. There are signs that we are getting close to the falls as water starts to appear in the creek, and the canyon walls get higher. Then you turn a corner and it’s full on Jurassic Park.
A 150-foot waterfall dropping into a small pool below, ferns hanging off the rock walls, trees crowding in from every side.
Most people call it the Goldstream waterfall, but its actual name is Niagara Falls. Yes, that Niagara, no relation to the bigger one back east. It’s one of the best photo spots on the South Island. A few other people were down there with me, all from out of province. One couple from Winnipeg, another group from Ottawa, all of them clearly having the moment Vancouver Island gives first-time visitors.
I started back along the riverbed just as a school bus group was heading the other direction. Glad to see kids out experiencing a place like this, and even more glad my timing worked out. Quiet on the way in, quiet on the way out.
Two photos I always grab when visiting Goldstream Park: the giant hollowed-out trunk you can climb inside, and the tree growing straight over a nursing log. Both of them are great examples of the size and how things find a way to keep growing back here.
In the fall, the park turns into one of the most popular salmon-run viewing spots on this part of the island. The salmon bring eagles, and the eagles bring photographers, so it gets busy through the late fall.
One practical heads up before you go. Goldstream is on a fast, busy stretch of the Trans-Canada with no traffic lights at the entrance, so if you’re turning across traffic, give yourself patience. If you’re heading south and don’t feel like fighting the turn into the main lot, there’s a small pullout on the highway side you can use instead.
Planning your Vancouver Island visit
- Vancouver Island Trip Planner
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