Upper Goldstream Falls is a short hike near Langford, BC on Vancouver Island. It’s a great hike if you’re looking for something that will take only about an hour to a picturesque waterfall and swimming hole. The hike starts at the gatehouse for Goldstream Park Campground and continues 1.5 km to the falls.
Hike Statistics:
- 3 kilometres roundtrip (out-and-back)
- 60 metres of elevation
- Dog Friendly
- Difficulty: Easy
- Time: 1-1.5 hours
Though the trail runs close to the campground, for most of the hike you feel secluded in the rainforest. It is a beautiful trail towards the falls with only one steeper section near the end. We found the trail to be a bit muddy in spots, so keep this in mind when choosing footwear. We found the hike to be perfectly doable in sneakers, but the mud was a little tricky without waterproof shoes.
At the end of the trail you’ll arrive at a junction with the campground road at the top of a set of stairs. Follow the stairs down to the falls.
The area at the bottom of the falls was quite busy. We were there on a warm afternoon, the Friday of Labour Day weekend, so there were many families staying at Goldstream Park Campground. People were swimming beneath the falls and wading in the river.
After getting some nice photos of the view, we made our way back the way we came. The hike back up the stairs feels a lot more significant than the way down, so be prepared! We parked before the gatehouse, so we added a little extra to our hike. Overall, it took us about one hour.
Upper Goldstream Falls is a 25-minute drive from downtown Victoria, and it is also accessible by bus #50 from Victoria to Langford and bus #58 from Langford to Goldstream. For more information about the hike or the transportation, check the Victoria Trails website.