British Columbia is rich with mountains, forests and water...and boasts some of the world's loveliest waterfalls. Since Bridal Falls happens to be right on our doorstep (a ten minute drive)...we visit there often.
Usually we have the grandkids along for the hike...
(l-r : John, Martha, Liz, Elmer, myself and Vern)
...but this time we took our Kelowna relatives there for a little stretching-of-the-legs before they began their roadtrip home.Bridal Falls drops four hundred feet and is located in the Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park. The water comes from nearby Larch Mountain...and eventually flows into the Fraser River.
An easy hike of about 15 minutes takes us to the viewing platform...
...and that is as far as hikers are allowed in this day and age! Things were different when I was a kid. No one seemed too concerned about safety...there were no signs...no viewing platforms...and we went to the very base of the falls.Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park is located at the site of the ancient village of Popkum which has settlement records dating back to the 1700s. The falls only received provincial park status in 1965...before that time it was our own little treasure!
The park is situated in the Coastal Western Hemlock bio-climatic zone....and due to an abundance of rainfall, every branch is hanging with moss.
Red cedar, western hemlock, broadleaf maple, and red alder form a dense canopy over beds of moss and fern.
Oh yes...and all along the trail are signs warning of black bear in the area. We made a lot of noise along the trail...and kept the bear at bay. But we know there are record numbers of black bear in our area this year...and as of yesterday, they have discovered our corn field near the mountain. We are hoping they leave us something to harvest!
And so ends our visit to Bridal Falls...and as we leave, we see paragliders landing in the fields nearby. They see the falls from a new perspective...I think I'll stick to the trail!
Judy, your photos are beautiful, and your knowledge of our area is thorough! I sure can't recite facts like that. A great ambassador for our area. You could be a tour guide. Dairymary
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to have such beauty right there within walking distance. I bet that you have spent time letting those falls wash over you in times past. Sometimes the grown-ups just have to ruin things!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place and what a blessing to have it close enough to walk to! You have such a gift with your camera and words. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh, meant to say that you have a wonderful photo there of you and your guests.
ReplyDeleteI thought for a moment you had stolen my pictures. Yea Bridal Falls. Remember the old motel that used to be there?
ReplyDeleteI love the hang gliders. We spotted them, stopped and took pictures also. They look so graceful.
I haven't been there in ages. . .it always makes me smile when I see something on a blog and it makes me want to go .. .today. . .gorgeous pictures. . .good luck with those bears. . now if you could just sit on a perch somewhere and have your camera ready.
ReplyDeleteEasy she says..I'm huffing and puffing just thinking about that hike!! Beautiful falls!
ReplyDeleteWow - absolutely exquisite landscape you are surrounded by! One of my favorite things to do when we lived on Maui was to hike to the waterfalls ... such a wonderful reward after plodding along a long trail.
ReplyDeletenow that is a hike that i may even be able to do.
ReplyDeletelooks absolutely breath taking.
right at your back door, what a blessing to be living there. makes me want to come even more!
How nice to exchange trips and accompany you. Beautiful waterfall and interesting woods.
ReplyDeleteI tried to enlarge pics to see you clearly but see tht yours do not enlarge.
What an amazing waterfall, looks just like a bridal veil.
ReplyDeleteI well remember walking through woods in BC with my daughter, and all singing very loudly in case the bears were around.
Beautiful, it looks very similar to our New Zealand outdoors! Rachaelxo
ReplyDeleteWow! The waterfall is amazing! Such beautiful pictures! thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJudy you always take us on the most fantastic tours of your beautiful homeland. Thanks so much for this. Lovely! Reminds me of when my grandparents used to take us on walks through the countryside.
ReplyDeletehugs
Sandi
Judy, thank you for your visit today. I really enjoyed your post today. We have a Bridal Veil falls right here in NC. However, it is nothing as beautiful as the falls you posted today. It is beautiful. I enjoyed your history about the park and your photos. We have bears here in the mountains where we live but they don't come around very often.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Jeanne
Your photos are just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing them. You live in a beautiful place. I can see why you visit Bridal Falls often. If I was there, I would too.
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