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Black Tusk

Whistler Train Wreck

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Spectacular Whistler!

Whistler hiking is wonderful! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month guides! WeRentGear.com rents tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp stoves, packs, complete kits and more!

Best Trails This Week!

Best This Week: Whistler Train Wreck and Parkhurst Ghost Town are easy, fun and dog friendly. Check out our August and September Whistler and Garibaldi Park guides here!

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.

  • Very nice trail along the river to the falls
  • Informative signs at the falls explaining geology
  • Accessible year-round, even during snowy days
  • Campground is elaborate and well laid out
  • Easy, family friendly hiking trail
  • Very dog friendly trails
  • Campsites are crowded together
  • Not too much to see except the falls
  • Campground gets very busy
  • Fun to swim near the campsite, but cold!

Though the BC Parks website describes Nairn Falls as 60 metres high, the description is a bit misleading. You won't find a marvellously 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. With such abruptly steep rock all around, the area would be potentially dangerous. Evidently there have been deaths here before. A cross, reverently placed across the chasm from the viewing platform, indicates of some tragic event. Nairn Falls Provincial Park is located just a short 20 to 30 minute drive north of Whistler.  From the large parking lot the well marked trail runs along the Green River for 1.2 kilometres to Nairn Falls. The trail is very easy and is hike-able year-round. Though considerable snow falls in the winter months here, the popular trail remains easy to follow, and snowshoes are usually not needed. You will find the parking lot gate locked in the winter, so you can park outside the gate and walk in. In cold winter weather you may find some treacherous sections of trail. The trail is quite narrow and follows a course next to a very steep slope down to the rushing river. On many winter days you will find the trail icy and extremely slippery.

Though the main trail to Nairn Falls is the main focus of visitors to Nairn Falls Provincial Park, there are more trails to more sights. The Sea to Sky Trail and various other trails zig-zag to the south. A cute trail off the campground brings you down to the river and quite a scenic area at a large bend in the river. This is the place you can jump in the water on a hot day.

Nairn Falls Provincial Park - Hike in Whistler

Nairn Falls Potholes

Nairn Falls Hike in Whistler 15

Nairn Falls Aerial View

The Story of Nairn Falls

Nairn Falls Provincial Park Map

Nairn Falls Provincial ParkMost visitors to Nairn Falls Provincial Park just see the falls, however, to the left, beyond the campsites the Green River is beautiful.  A short trail takes you down to a wide bend in the river and you find yourself in what looks like a large beach. It is a hidden bit of paradise with the crystal clear, green water flowing over polished rocks. The whole are is in almost constant sunlight despite being in the middle of the forest. On warm, summer days you will find people swimming, sipping beers on the rock cliffs across the river and generally having an amazing time in this usually forgotten corner of the park.

Nairn Falls Large Map v7

Getting to Nairn Falls

Driving to the TrailheadNairn Falls is very easy to find, just a 20-30 minute drive north of Whistler. From Whistler Village, zero your odometer at Village Gate Boulevard and head north on Highway 99(towards Pemberton), 29.1 kilometres from Whistler Village you will see the parking lot on your right and a huge Nairn Falls Provincial Park highway sign. There is a large, free parking area as you enter the park. If you drive further into the park you will find all the drive-to camping areas as well as the park warden's cabin. If you are just visiting the falls, parking at the main area just off the highway is best.  If you find the gate locked(after hours and in the winter), you can park along the edge of the highway.

Nairn Falls Driving Directions Map

More Nairn Falls Information

More Whistler & Garibaldi Park Hiking Maps!

Cheakamus Lake Maps

Cheakamus Lake is a wonderfully relaxing way to get in the wilderness easily and quickly from Whistler Village.  The trail begins on the far side of Whistler Mountain, 8 ...
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Wedgemount Lake Maps

Wedgemount Lake itself is a magnificent destination for a day hike or spectacular overnight beneath the dazzling mountain peaks and stars. Many sleep under the stars on one of ...
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Meager Hot Springs Maps

Meager Hot Springs(aka: Meager Creek Hot Springs) is located 93 kilometres northwest of Whistler, was beautifully developed into gorgeous pools, with a caretaker and usage ...
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Cheakamus River Maps

Cheakamus River is the beautiful, crashing and turquoise coloured river that flows from Cheakamus Lake, through the Cheakamus Valley to Daisy Lake.  Also a popular kayaking ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trail Maps
 

Amazing West Coast Trail Highlights

Whistler & Garibaldi Park Glossary A to Z

The Green Lake Loop is the original trail that runs around the back side of Green Lake.  Before the Sea to Sky Highway was cut through the valley in 1964, ...
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Col: a ridge between two higher peaks, a mountain pass or saddle.  More specifically is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.  Sometimes ...
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Bivouac or Bivy: a primitive campsite or simple, flat area where camping is possible.  Traditionally used to refer to a very primitive campsite comprised of ...
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Northair Mine is wonderful, hidden world high up in Callaghan Valley.  It was a gold mine run by the Northair Group from 1976 until was abandoned in 1982 ...
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The rocky and narrow row of islands in Garibaldi Lake just offshore from the Garibaldi Lake campsite are known as Battleship Islands.  Named by the ...
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The Barrier formed as a result of huge lava flows from Clinker Peak on the west shoulder of Mount Price during the last ice age.  About thirteen thousand ...
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Arête: a thin ridge of rock formed by two glaciers parallel to each other. Sometimes formed from two cirques meeting. From the French for edge or ridge.  Around ...
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Cairns, inukshuks or inuksuks are a pile or arrangement of rocks used to indicate a route, landmark or a summit.  The word cairn originates from the ...
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More Hike in Whistler Glossary

Free Camping Gear Delivery to Garibaldi Park

The Best Whistler & Garibaldi Park Hiking Trails!

Mount Sproatt, or as it is known locally as just Sproatt, is one of the many towering mountains visible from Whistler Village. Above and beyond Alta Lake, directly across from Whistler Mountain and ...
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Brandywine Meadows is a nice, relatively short hike to a massive flower filled valley high up in Callaghan Valley. Located 40 minutes south of Whistler, this tough and sometimes muddy trail gains a huge 550 ...
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The short, winding, and ever-changing hiking trail to Rainbow Falls is the same as the much more popular trailhead for Rainbow Lake.  The trailhead is marked as the Rainbow Trail, and the trail quickly ...
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Madeley Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake located high up in the Callaghan Valley just a short drive past Alexander Falls.  From Whistler Village it takes about 50 minutes to drive the 27.4 kilometres to get ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trails & Maps

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