Norvan Falls

Mojo and I recently walked out to Norvan Falls in Lynn Headwaters.  We don’t usually go quite that far when walking in the park but the weather was great and we had the time to do so.

We park the car and walk though the front green at the park entrance.  The views here as we cross the river and head onto the riverside trail.

The water in the creek looking particularly inviting and clean today.

More views along the river, the large rocks on the right newly placed to help prevent slides.

Old logging machinery that was left now has trees and plants growing through it.

Mojo knows the way, he’s been here many times.

He stops for a drink and a paddle.  It’s a very warm day.

The weeks of dry weather had put our fire hazard rating up to ‘High’ (most of the interior was ‘Extreme’).  Thankfully this weekends rainfall has reduced most of the Province back down to ‘Low’ again, most welcome since before the rain there were some 400+ fires around the province.  However, when the fire rating goes up they ban campfires and smoking throughout the parks.

Map of Lynn Headwaters.  We started at the park entrance and will end up about 2/3rds way up, where the yellow trail leads off to the right near the top of the blue trail.  Beyond the point we’re going to are very backcountry routes and more than we want to do today.

More nice river and mountain views as we continue onto the Cedars Mill Trail.

There is an abundance of Western Skunk Cabbage plants in the marshy ground of the forest floor.  They gain their name due to the mildly noxious odour they give off, similar to the smell a skunk gives. 

I have also discovered (thanks Wiki !) that they are an important source of food for bears, who eat the roots when they awake from hibernation as skunk cabbage roots are excellent laxatives !  Who knew ?

While I like cabbage a lot these varieties are best avoided as human consumption leads to ‘a gruesome prickling sensation on the tongue and throat resulting in intestinal irritation and even death’.  Best stick to the savoy with sunday roast.

We continue further along Cedars Mill Trail which hugs close to the Lynn Creek.

Eventually we reach the Third Debris Chute, a large clearing beside the river where the riverside Cedar Mills Trail and the higher forest Headwaters Trail merge and continue onwards towards Norvan Falls.

There are good views through the valley from here.

The local peaks have finally lost all of their snow, it was however late July before this happened, later than other years.

We continue on the Headwaters Trail towards Norvan Falls.  It is a few more kilometres to the falls and the trails winds it way through the forest away from the river.  Pleasant enough but not very exciting or photogenic.

We meet a bridge made out of a fallen tree trunk.

Mojo demonstrates it in action.

Just before the falls we reach a small, wobbly suspension bridge.  Not for the faint hearted.  You don’t actually have to cross the bridge to reach the falls which is great.

Finally we reach Norvan Falls which are of course not very spectacular this time of year with such low rainfall in recent weeks.  Nonetheless they are a reasonable height drop and a great point to reach on the trail, stop and have lunch.

  We hang out at the falls for our lunch, drink and a paddle, then return and make our way back.  A nice, easy 14km round trip.