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Alexander Falls is a very impressive 43 metre/141 foot waterfall just 30 to 40 minutes south of Whistler in the Callaghan Valley. Accessible year-round, the falls are just 9.6 kilometres from the Sea to Sky Highway, up the very scenic Callaghan Valley Road. The parking lot is just steps from the nice viewing platform on the edge of the cliff across from the falls which crash fantastically into the valley below.
Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
Alexander Falls 
Ancient Cedars 
Black Tusk 
Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake 
Cheakamus River 
Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs 
Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck 
Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
Whistler Area Waterfalls
Alexander Falls Brandywine Falls Cirque Falls Holloway Falls Keyhole Falls Nairn Falls Rainbow Falls Shannon Falls Train Wreck Falls Wedgemount Falls
Alexander Falls is certainly one of the nicest spots for a picnic in Whistler. The picnic areas are numerous, the surrounding forest is gorgeous and wild and Alexander Falls crashes loud and beautiful in the background. The Callaghan Valley is home to some other great places to visit. Just past the Alexander Falls parking lot on your left you will see a sign for Callaghan Lake Provincial Park. If you turn left here you can either drive straight up a very bad logging road for 8.5 kilometres to Callaghan Lake. If you want a quick look at a very pretty mountain lake, take the first right at the start of this logging road that takes you to Madeley Lake. On a sunny summer day, few places in Whistler are more serene and beautiful. A short trail from the end of the road, behind the lake takes you down to a lovely and sunny shore of this crystal clear lake. It is also a free campground that is very nice. Callaghan Lake is well worth the bumpy drive. Very high up the mountains, it is a pretty great way to get deep into the wilderness around Whistler with little effort. Almost the entire Callaghan Valley is pristine looking in the winter, with snowy trees, and snowy mountains as far as you can see. Springtime is when you see the volume of water crashing over the falls increase rapidly. More dramatic, more beautiful and much louder. The fall months can be quite beautiful as well. Despite the deteriorating weather and frequent rainfall, the drive up the Callaghan Valley will be flanked by fall coloured leaves. Another benefit of going to Alexander Falls in the fall is that you will likely have the valley to yourselves.
Alexander Falls Provincial Park
Alexander Falls in Winter Snow
In the winter months the Callaghan Valley is a winter wonderland with deep snow everywhere. Callaghan Valley Road is snow plowed all winter, which allows easy access to Alexander Park even in the depths of winter! The parking lot is not plowed, so you just have to park in a cleared section just off the road and walk a couple hundred metres to the viewpoint.
Walking through the Alexander Falls parking lot covered in almost 2 metres of snow on a beautiful, sunny winter day. The outhouses can be seen on the right almost entirely buried in snow. The viewing platform just past the outhouses is completely obscured by snow.
Sometimes walking on the railing is the easiest way to get to the falls viewpoint.
Alexander Falls Driving Directions
From Whistler Village: Drive south on the Sea to Sky highway, 13.8 kilometres from Village Gate Boulevard, turn right onto Callaghan Valley access road at the sign to Whistler Olympic Park. Follow this road for 9.6 kilometres, keep an eye out on your left for a little sign that directs you to Alexander Falls. The sign/turnoff is just before Whistler Olympic Park. From Vancouver/Squamish: Head north on Highway 99 towards Whistler. Turn left onto Callaghan Valley road at the sign for Whistler Olympic Park, 40 kilometres from the set of lights at Garibaldi Way in Squamish. Follow this road for9.6 km, keep an eye out on your left for a little sign that directs you to Alexander Falls. The sign/turnoff is just before Whistler Olympic Park.
Anytime of the year is great to go to Alexander Falls. In the summer, the weather makes the drive more scenic and you are likely to see bears on the way there. At the viewing area you have several picnic tables that are wonderful in the summertime. In the winter months, the valley is a massive, snowy playground.
Callaghan Valley Hiking and Camping
Alexander Falls lays in the heart of Callaghan Valley with lots of interesting sights. Callaghan Lake is a beautiful mountain lake just 8.5 kilometres up the logging road past Alexander Falls. Camping is free at this wonderfully remote feeling Provincial Park. Madeley Lake is another gorgeous mountain lake near Alexander Falls with a free campsite. Normally you can drive the logging road to Madeley Lake, however Whistler Olympic Park managed to wrestle control over Madeley Lake Road and installed a gate several kilometres from the lake in 2020. They posted signs on the gate threatening to evict trespassers, then quickly removed them when they realized it revealed their true intention to charge the public to visit Madeley Lake. They have since retreated from this and declared that the lake is open to the public, but only the public that are willing to park near the gate and endure the 6 kilometre, uphill trek along an otherwise easily drivable logging road. Hopefully the gate will be removed as there is quite a lot of public outcry against it from various interests, including hiking groups that have done considerable trail work in recent years.
Northair Mine Near Alexander Falls
Another great place to see near Alexander Falls is the old, abandoned Northair Mine. Northair Mine is a surreal little world of colourful murals on abandoned cement foundations, surrounded by an astoundingly tranquil little lake in a secluded forest. Northair Mine gets its name from the Vancouver based mining company the Northair Group. The mine was in production from 1976 and extracted 5 tons of gold before being abandoned in 1982. Today it is a bizarre little world in the mountains that has become an incredible place to escape the world and camp out under the stars The old gold mine is found up a bumpy, but reasonably drivable logging road on the other side of Callaghan Valley Road. The cement foundations remain and have many elaborate murals painted over them. Recently, professional, local muralist Kups created a wonderfully enormous mural called "Ravens". Kups is a much in demand and award winning professional muralist.
Northair Mine in 2013
Back in 2013 Northair Mine was fairly unknown and mostly a blank canvas with only a couple murals along the inside walls. The exterior walls shown here still untouched.
Northair Mine in 2014
One year later, in 2014 graffiti and murals covered several of the walls of Northair Mine.
Northair Mine in 2019
After 2014, unfortunately graffiti began to cover most of the Northair Mine murals, and in 2019 the place was quite a mess of mostly repetitive graffiti. Kups came along in late 2019 and brought the place back to life with this wonderful mural he calls "Ravens".
Graffiti covered Northair Mine lit up by a pink sunset.
Northair Mine Driving Directions
From Whistler Village, zero your odometer at Village Gate Boulevard and turn south onto the Sea to Sky Highway. At 13.8 kilometres turn right onto Callaghan Valley Road. At 21.4 kilometres turn right onto Callaghan Creek FSR. Follow this logging road until you reach Northair Mine at 26.8 kilometres. The turnoff into Northair Mine is not obvious so keep an eye on your odometer to know when to turn left.
Best Whistler Waterfalls
Nairn Falls is a wonderful, crashing and chaotic waterfall that surrounds you from the deluxe viewing platform that allows you to safely watch it from ...
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Alexander Falls is a very impressive 43 metre/141 foot waterfall just 30 to 40 minutes south of Whistler in the Callaghan Valley. Accessible year-round, ...
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Brandywine Falls is one of the must see sights on the way to or from Whistler. The falls drop from a 70 metre(230 feet), unnaturally abrupt looking cliff ...
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Rainbow Falls is located just a short hike from the start of the Rainbow Trail to Rainbow Lake. The trailhead is along Alta Lake Road on the far side of ...
Read moreKeyhole Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Mount Meager erupted 2400 years ago and filled the valley with debris that cemented into rock that blocked Lillooet River. Eventually water erosion cut a channel through the breccia dam, and Keyhole Falls were born. The trail to Keyhole Hot Springs shows you plenty of examples of breccia, which is larger pieces of angular rock cemented together with small particles or a mineral cement that forms these marvels. The beautiful Keyhole Falls are just a couple kilometres upriver from Keyhole Hot Springs. The unmarked trailhead and parking area for Keyhole Falls are just a couple kilometres past the parking area for Keyhole Hot Springs. It is easy to find if you have a good idea where it is, see the map below. If you don't have a rough idea where it is, or expect an obvious sign, you will likely get lost in the maze of logging roads in the area. Mount Meager looms high above Keyhole Hot Springs and it, and the surrounding peaks are known collectively as the Mount Meager Complex. The Meager Complex produced the most recent, major volcanic event in Canada in the last 10,000 years. The eruption 2400 years ago spread ash as far as Alberta. More recently, in 2010 a massive debris flow swept down and into the valley causing Pemberton to be evacuated. The eruption 2400 years ago left a huge pumice outcrop 2 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide. Continued here...
Brandywine Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Brandywine Falls is one of the must see sights on the way to or from Whistler. The falls drop from a 66 metre(216 feet), unnaturally abrupt looking cliff to the valley below. Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is such a popular, accessible and beautiful sight that it has a large and elaborate viewing platform directly opposite the falls. Located just 20 minutes south of Whistler, Brandywine Falls is just off of the Sea to Sky Highway. Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is wonderful for so many reasons. First it is dramatically beautiful as it plunges from an abrupt cliff. Second it is very easy to get to and easy to hike to. The viewing areas are nicely located and the far viewing area overlooks the massive valley toward Daisy Lake. Brandywine Falls is the main sight in the area, but there are several more great sights around the falls. Continued here...
Cirque Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Cirque Falls crashes down from Cirque Lake to Callaghan Lake, connecting these two remarkably beautiful and very different lakes. Where Callaghan Lake is a large, easy to get to mountain lake, Cirque Lake is an extraordinarily serene and hidden lake that takes a bit of planning and effort to get to. Though it is just two kilometres up a steep, yet easily manageable trail, the Cirque Lake trailhead is hidden at the far end of Callaghan Lake. With the massive snowfall and long winters, combined with the rapid, trail-consuming forest growth in BC's Coast Mountains, finding the Cirque Lake trail is mangled, obscured and overgrown. Keeping to the trail and even finding the trailhead would be nearly impossible without the help of Cirque Falls and Cirque Creek. The trailhead, in fact, is so well concealed by the forest that it is completely invisible from the lake. Paddling up to the end of Callaghan Lake and where you assume the trailhead to be leaves you some probable options that entice you away from the actual trailhead. Flatter terrain, gaps in the forest and a more obvious entry point to the forest can be found on the right side of the end of the lake. The left side and middle, you rule out quickly as they are both too steep and the impenetrable wall of the rainforest looks uninviting. Continued here...
Holloway Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Holloway Falls is the beautiful waterfalls you see partway along the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park trail. Located between Middle Joffre Lake and Upper Joffre Lake, Holloway Falls is a wide, crashing torrent of white water emerging from the forest and rushing past the trail. Huge boulders and logs along the edge with swirling water rushing around them. On a hot day, you can easily dunk your head in the rushing water and cool down. Joffre Creek flows from Upper Joffre Lake to Middle Joffre Lake with Holloway Falls an equal distance between them. Joffre Creek then flows quite some distance to Lower Joffre Lake. It then flows out of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park and runs along parallel to the Sea to Sky Highway for several kilometres to Lillooet Lake. Holloway Falls is not dramatically impressive like other Whistler waterfalls like Brandywine Falls or Alexander Falls. It is more like Rainbow Falls, in that it flows down more gradually, and not over a massive and abrupt cliff. Though compared to Rainbow Falls, Holloway Falls is quite a larger torrent of water flowing through. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is a beautiful and popular park, well known for its brilliantly, glacier coloured lakes. All three Joffre Lakes are extraordinarily turquoise coloured. On a sunny day, the lakes are hypnotizingly beautiful, surrounded by gorgeous mountains and untouched wilderness. Continued here...
Nairn Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Nairn Falls is a wonderful, crashing and chaotic waterfall that surrounds you from the deluxe viewing platform that allows you to safely watch it from above. The beautiful, green water rushes through the deep and angular channels of rock. Nairn Falls Provincial Park is centred around a very large campground and the short, 1.2 kilometre trail to the falls. You won't find the abrupt drop into a deep chasm like to see with Brandywine Falls. Nairn Falls has a very different shape to it, but is every bit as interesting and scenic. More so, in fact, due to the interesting geological information you find at the main viewpoint over the falls. Nairn Falls crash through various narrow and wide areas, and though the cumulative drop is 60 metres, what you see is a series of 10 to 20 metre falls through a deep, zig-zagging canyon. There are very nicely constructed railings, fences and viewing areas as well as a walkway that guides you to the best views. Continued here...
Rainbow Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Rainbow Falls is located just a short hike from the start of the Rainbow Trail to Rainbow Lake. The trailhead is along Alta Lake Road on the far side of Alta Lake, just down and across from Rainbow Park. Rainbow Falls are not awe inspiring, however the trail to them is fun and the creek above and below the falls is very scenic. The Flank Trail crosses the Rainbow Trail and 21 Mile Creek just up from Rainbow Falls. A small trail on the far side of the bridge takes you down to the creek bed and the top of the falls. Depending on the time of year, the creek bed may be full of crashing water or half empty and inviting to crawl around the huge, water-smoothed boulders. Rainbow Falls can be tricky to find from the Rainbow trailhead as the trail branches a few times along the way. There is a small Rainbow Falls sign, however it is easily missed, especially in the winter if it is buried in snow. Continued here...
Shannon Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Shannon Falls towers above Howe Sound at 335 metres as the third tallest falls in BC. The wonderful, though very short trail winds through a beautiful old growth forest to get to the base of the falls. From your car to the viewpoint takes only about four minutes. You can continue along the trail and join with the Stawamus Chief trail which goes to the three marvellous summits of The Chief. Shannon Falls Provincial Park has a concession stand as well as an information centre next to the parking area. This parking area is day use only, so if you are hoping to camp overnight in the area, you have to park at the Stawamus Chief parking lot, just a 1 minute drive north of the Shannon Falls lot. If you are planning to hike the Stawamus Chief, the Shannon Falls parking lot is arguably a better place to start from. You can take a look at Shannon Falls and then take the connecting trail to join onto the trail to The Chief. Continued here...
Train Wreck Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Whistler Train Wreck is a hidden little world of brightly graffiti painted, wrecked train cars along a gorgeous stretch of Cheakamus River. One particularly stunning section of the river, unseen by nearly all visitors to Train Wreck, is the marvellously broad and crashing Train Wreck Falls. In the past, the falls were easily spotted on the trail to Train Wreck, but with the recent installation of the bridge to Train Wreck, the access trail was redirected. The new trail to Whistler Train Wreck comes from the opposite direction as the old trail. Designed to avoid the train tracks and inevitable conflicts with CN Rail, the new trail and bridge allows access to Train Wreck without crossing the train tracks. The new trail, however, keeps Train Wreck Falls out of sight. The Trash Trail runs along the other side of Cheakamus River and runs along the edge of the top of the falls and quite a nice view of them. The Train Wreck side of the river has multiple viewpoints of Train Wreck Falls that are considerably more beautiful. Continued here...
Wedgemount Falls - Best Whistler Waterfalls
Wedgemount Falls can be seen along the trail to Wedgemount Lake. As the falls flow directly from Wedgemount Lake, they are located about three quarters of the hiking distance from the trailhead. At almost 300 metres high, Wedgemount Falls can be heard long before being visible. The forest cover is very thick for most of the trail to Wedgemount Lake so getting a clear look at the falls is difficult. There is one spot, however, where you will catch sight of them, still kilometres away, yet with such a enormously tall waterfall, you would have to see them from a distance to get it all in view. The falls crash down the almost vertical mountainside, not far from the edge of Wedgemount Lake. You can, if you are fairly brave, hike fairly close to the top of Wedgemount Falls from Wedgemount Lake. Continued here...
Alexander Falls Brandywine Falls Cirque Falls Holloway Falls Keyhole Falls Nairn Falls Rainbow Falls Shannon Falls Train Wreck Falls Wedgemount Falls
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