Trails

Brandywine Falls

Difficulty Level: Physically moderate/ Technically easy.

Self Sufficiency: Moderate. - Season: May through October.

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Synopsis: This 35 km round trip from the Village south to Brandywine Falls Provincial Park follows old logging roads along the valley floor. Most of the riding is technically easy, though there is a single-track section just past the suspension bridge at the Cal-Cheak Forest Service site. The trail also traverses the Lava Lakes area above Brandywine Falls, on a great high-speed double-track through stands of Lodgepole pine. This is a popular early season ride, as it is usually the first trail of any length to be free of snow.

Trailhead Access: Ride south from the Village on Highway 99 for 7.5 km, past Whistler Creek, to Function Junction, which is marked with a large wooden sign. When you reach Function Junction, turn left off the highway, into the Whistler Interpretive Forest, and ride up the paved road towards the dump.

The Ride: Just after crossing the single lane bridge over the Cheakamus River, the road splits, with the left fork marked as 'Westside Main' and the right fork leading into the dump. This section can be a little foul on a hot day, but just take a deep breath and follow the right fork into the landfill. Immediatly past the gate a gravel road branches to the right (it should be marked 'Brandywine/Janes Lakes). Follow this road as it rolls through the hills, south from the dump. There is a basalt quarry about a kilometer from the dump, so watch for heavy vehicles.

After a couple of kilometers, just past the crest of a hill, the road forks, with the right branch dropping downhill while the main road continues off to the left. Take the right branch, and begin the rough and rocky descent down to the Cheakamus River. Along the way you will pass another road heading left; ignore it and continue to descend to the bridge.

After crossing the bridge the road rolls along to the area known as the Basalt Columns, a volcanic formation of hexagonal pillars just off the highway. Here you must ride down the highway for a short distance to the Cal-Cheak Forest Service site. The turnoff is on the left just before a bridge and is marked with a small sign. If you reach the four lane section of highway, you have gone too far.

After entering the Cal-Cheak site (named for the confluence of the Cheakamus and Callaghan rivers) ride past the first campsite down to the hydro lines. The entrance to the suspension bridge is the through the second campsite on the right. This is a large site, and you may have to search around for it a little. Once across the bridge there is an entertaining section of single-track that follows the riverbank for about a kilometer. This single-track emerges briefly beside some railway tracks. From here the trail heads back into the woods, but do not follow it if you wish to actually ride to the falls. The single-track becomes unridable from this point.

The route for bikers crosses over the railway tracks and along a dirt road briefly to the hydro lines. From here a double-track runs up into the pine trees on the left, beside the power lines. This section is known as Lava Lakes. The entire area is actually an ancient lava flow, and the depressions in it tend to catch rainfall in many small ponds. This winding section of trail is all slightly downhill, and is great fun--just be aware that there is an unexpected short steep section just before the entrance to the park. This hill has a nasty drop-off on the right, so watch your speed! At the bottom of the hill you will be entering the park, and from here the falls are only a few hundred meters away. Be aware that this park is very heavily used, and you will likely find yourself in a crowd of pedestrians on the trail in.

After spending some time checking out the falls, you have the option of either retracing your off-road route, or doing a little bit of a road ride on the highway back to Whistler. If you are feeling a little wiped out, the highway is the easier, and faster option.