Waterfalls on the Brown's River near Courtenay - Part 1

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

We recently decided to check out a waterfall and trails leading to the Brown's River which is normally fairly inaccessible. This hike is very short - less than 1 km 1 way and starts at the Komoks Treaty Lands and Tribal Park and Wildwood Interpretative Forest Park parking area. This is on Piercy Road and on a hot day you can see lots of cars parked along the road for some distance since the informal parking area is very small. We initially thought all these people were walking in the Wildwood trails but then found out that in fact they were heading to the Brown' s River with its eroded pools and small waterfalls which are nice for cooling off in the summer. 

                                                            A falls on the Brown's River 

 So instead of heading into the woods into the Wildwood trails, walk down the powerline on the southside of the road and shortly you will come to a side trail heading to the right. Follow it into the forest and soon will be looking over the Brown's River their are many short trails which descend to the river and now with snowmelt the river is bubbling right along. Some of these trails are steep and have ropes to aid in your descent or ascent. The descents will not be suited to all people so if you have young children or have mobility issues you might have to be content to walk along the trail at the top which still gives good views of the river. This is a fun trail to explore and we want to come back in the summer to check it out for swimming when the river is flowing more slowly. This trail looks like it could be quite muddy and very slippery if it is raining out so it best to go in the late spring , summer and early fall after a day period.
See you on the trail.  

                                                 Walking under the powerline toward the river