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 Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2012 : 4:12 PM
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Been hiking some easier trails with my friend and we decided to have lunch at the falls that come down into the Coquitlam River. If you go to this thread and look at the last post by simonc, you'll see where we started from. Here's the route and some stats.
Trail was quite muddy because it's heavily used by bikers, although we only saw one biker and lots of hikers on the day we went, June 9. Lots of fun stepping around the huge mud puddles.
 nice light coming through the trees on the way in.
We also came across a plant I'd never seen before. Looked it up from my photos the next day and it's called piggy back plant or youth-on-age. It's one of the saxifrages. Kinda cool. 
and lots of different ferns opening up. Isn't spring just lovely 
 
and of course, with all the moisture, there just had to be some interesting fun guys
Finally got to the Falls and settled in for some lunch and serious water photography. this first batch is from below the Falls.
    
Then clambered up and around roots and rocks (lots of others have done same so routes are many and varied depending on your fear level and skill on wet rock!!) and shot some pics looking down and of the smaller cascades above the Falls.
   
Came back down to join my friend, and took a few parting shots as we headed back out to dry off and clean up before dinner 
 
Very satisfying little trip with lots of nice side trails down to the Coquitlam River for river watching. Highly recommended if you just have a couple of hours, live nearby, and like waterfalls. |
Edited by - Scrambler on 06/23/2012 9:50 PM
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13061 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2012 : 4:15 PM
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| Nice, that was my old stomping ground way back in the day. Nice area to wander |
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5468 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2012 : 10:41 PM
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| Nice, that is one I will have to check out some time. |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2041 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2012 : 10:59 PM
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Hmmm, falls you say...
I like the little fern photos. |
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Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
4001 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 11:59 AM
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I biked up there a few weeks back - got nice and muddy.
Some good sized stumps to be seen when you go up above the falls and follow the creek. |
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| piika
Intermediate Member
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
736 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 12:07 PM
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Beautiful pics 
Been meaning to get back in there soon. I've heard the falls often called Crystal Falls, but not sure if it's an official name or not. |
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 4:33 PM
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Thanks, all, for your comments and compliments on the pics.
Yeah, it's just a nice quick and easy place to get to when time is short, especially if you start out in Coquitlam! Good ROI for the time spent And as simonc says, lots of area to explore above the Falls as you can connect with trails in Burke Mt park. |
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Fleece thong wearin, Buntzen Lurkin, mystic poet mountain man and international spokesman of the friends of the white squirrel society
Port Moody, B.C.
Canada
5910 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 5:46 PM
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| Nice one Rich. I have done this one a few times and it does make for a fun bike ride if you do it fast . It's a nice spot if you are short on time. |
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 Peak scrambling, camera dodgin', knife toting gal who hikes with panties on pack & hangs clothes in trees
Port Coquitlam, BC
Canada
413 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 6:26 PM
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Yup, it was called Crystal Falls back when I was a pre-teen and that was a long time ago 
YIKES!!! And it took longer to get to, because all those subdivisions weren't there above David Avenue, and even River Springs was built-up some time after we started wandering in "them-thar" woods. |
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11 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 11:01 PM
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Thanks for the write up.
The area north of Shaughnessy and almost to the falls is private property. There is a proposed plan to put a bridge across the Coquitlam River and put in 1100 homes. I have been fighting for this area to be protected for over 10 years along with many other people. Very few people realize this area is threatened. One possible solution is to do a land swap with other land the City of Coquitlam owns and turn it into a park.
Please spread the word and keep visiting this wonderful area. |
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 11:59 AM
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Hey, thanks all for this great info!! From now on I will call it Crystal Falls
And I certainly don't like the idea of adding another 1100 homes up there!! Just where do they plan to "dump", oops, I mean route, the sewage? They wouldn't think of the using the river, now would they?!! Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a "lodge" thread |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13477 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 12:12 PM
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Nice shots of the falls, and like those fern shots.
Not liking the idea of progress and population growth (explosion).... We continue to expand.. and take over.
103 hiker thanks for the heads up, hope they can stick those extra homes somewhere else.
K |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 9:32 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by burnabyhiker
Hmmm, falls you say...
I like the little fern photos.
Trust me, you wouldn't like 'em. Too much white for you. :)
I've had my bike stolen from below those falls, but some tracking voodoo on my part got it back. :) Anyway, both the trail heads into Crystal Falls are from Coquitlam - Oxford and Shaughnessy north of Lincoln are both Coquitlam. I guess you meant it's faster when you start from Oxford / that little cul-de-sac west of it.
And on the developmental note, I had no idea this area was private. I remember when (damn I'm getting old) I used to bike from the top of Oxford to the top of Harper and hit up the mountain bike trails and be completely in forest the whole time.
A whole 7 years ago. |
Edited by - jd22 on 06/20/2012 9:33 PM |
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2012 : 9:49 PM
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quote:
Anyway, both the trail heads into Crystal Falls are from Coquitlam - Oxford and Shaughnessy north of Lincoln are both Coquitlam. I guess you meant it's faster when you start from Oxford / that little cul-de-sac west of it.
Sorry, jd22, to not be clearer. I meant that if you're already IN Coquitlam, which I was, as opposed to having to drive there from say, Vancouver, where I usually start out from, then it's a very short day!! Yup, both access points are in Coquitlam |
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Coquitlam River and Cyrstal Falls
