Surely, the only way to reach beautiful Vancouver Island waterfalls is by hiking long distances through mud and up mountains, barely surviving mosquito and bear attacks along the way? Well, not exactly. As much as I love my backcountry wilderness adventures there is still also a place in my heart for those special little spots just barely past my backyard. This is one of those spots. No long arduous hike required. In fact, this waterfall is so easy to get to that it’s accessible right off of the highway.
After a pull-off at a secret spot alongside the highway, it takes walking no more than five or ten minutes down a well-trafficked path to reach these secret falls. Surrounded by birds in the trees high above and the sounds of rushing water, you’ll forget about the hundreds of cars zooming by you. Sounds like a perfect hidden waterfall to me.
Did you know that there are actually three waterfalls on this creek? Shooting Star Falls and Upper Shooting Star Falls are two waterfalls further up the same creek and accessed from a different spot., but are close enough that they can easily be visited on the same day.
Continue reading this blog post for everything you need to know to experience Lower Shooting Star Falls in Nanoose Bay for yourself, including distance, elevation gain, how to get there, the best time to visit, and lots of photos of my experience.
When hiking it’s important to avoid harmful practices such as disturbing plants or rock-stacking, or removing any natural object from flowers to rocks, as it’s important to leave the environment as natural as possible for the animals and for fellow hikers to enjoy in perpetuity. As many flowers as there are, there are few enough that if we all took one, then there wouldn’t be any left. Take only photos, leave only footprints.
If you haven’t heard of Leave No Trace principles, they’re also really essential to read up on before heading anywhere into the outdoors in general. Following these important principles basically means doing your best to leave beautiful places like Lower Shooting Star Falls as good (if not better) than you found them, both for their preservation and for the enjoyment of other visitors.
Lower Shooting Star Falls Round Trip Details
Distance: .5 KM / .3 MI
Elevation Gain: None
Hiking Time: 20 Mins
When to Visit Lower Shooting Star Falls
Like all waterfalls on Vancouver Island, the best time of year to visit is the winter months, as well as late fall or early spring. These are the months with the most rain, meaning that visiting waterfalls during this time will guarantee a heavy and dramatic flow of water. Some waterfalls including Lower Shooting Star Falls sometimes dry up during the summer, so if visiting during July either try and time your visit with recent rainfall or lower your expectations accordingly.
How to Get to Lower Shooting Star Falls
These waterfalls are accessed from the Nanoose Rest Area just off of the side of the highway when driving South from Nanoose Bay towards Nanaimo. Simple as that. As the rest stop is on the West side of the highway, the waterfall can only be accessed when you are driving South.
Click here to open the exact trailhead location in Google Maps.
Walking to Lower Shooting Star Falls
Nanoose Rest Area, with a view over the harbour to Notch Hill.
The trail leads down towards the creek just after the third and final picnic table.
Looking back the way we came. It’s hard to get lost – we just walked upstream.
The canopy way above was gorgeous. We spotted the waterfall just after this area.
Some careful steps were required once the path joined the creek. This photo was taken at the very base of the falls.
Recommended Hiking Gear
Water is a must whenever I’m hiking, especially if the sun is going to be out. My favourite water filter I’ve used is the Katadyn BeFree 0.6L, which unlike other water filters I’ve used packs up really small and lightweight. For hikes where I know there won’t be any readily available water sources along the way, I make sure to bring my own. The Hydrapak Stow 1L bottle is my go-to, for the same reason that it’s made of a soft plastic that folds up and doesn’t take up any more extra space than necessary in my pack. Finally, Aquatabs are another great option for purifying water, with one tablet being suitable for one litre of water. I previously used the Grayl water filter while travelling internationally, and though I found its hard body more convenient for day to day use and easier to drink from, it has a little too much bulk for my fast-and-light style of hiking.
The secret to all my photos of gorgeous sunset and sunrise mountaintop views? A lot of hiking in the dark. And let me speak from personal experience when I say that the last thing that you want to happen when hiking is to be caught in the dark without a headlamp. I used the Black Diamond Spot 400 for years and it worked great – until I lost it on top of a mountain somewhere. The only downside to it was having to worry about the batteries dying, though there’s also a slightly more expensive version that has a rechargeable battery. Nowadays I’m using the Petzl Actik Core, which is a bit pricier than the more budget-friendly Black Diamond, but is also brighter, more comfortable (in my opinion), and has a hybrid power system that is rechargeable but can also take AAA batteries if needed.
You won’t see me using trekking poles on shorter hikes often – but on long hikes and backpacking trips, as well as certain scrambles, they are an absolute lifesaver. I’ve invested in a high quality ultra-lightweight pair of MSR DynaLock Ascent carbon poles which, while pricey, I don’t regret one bit. If you’re not entirely sure how much use you’re going to get out of a pair of trekking poles, the best budget-friendly option would be the Trekology Trek Z 2.0. Amazon does sell a lot of cheaper Made in China-style trekking poles for cheaper, but these usually are much much heavier and not worth buying.
All the best and most long-lasting cables and power banks I’ve ever owned have been Anker. I once had a phone cable from them that lasted me over three years of daily use! That’s why I keep an Anker PowerCore Essential 20K power bank on me. Like many people I use my phone for a lot of stuff when hiking (checking in with family, using online maps, taking photos, flying my drone) so I like to be prepared for that low battery warning by having a backup power source on me just in case.
The only socks I ever buy for myself are from Darn Tough, and I almost always make sure to wear them when hiking. After years of having no problems only wearing these comfortable and rugged socks for hikes, I accidentally wore a pair of no-name socks on a hike last year and ended up with blisters on both feet. Safe to say I’m back to sticking with the Darn Tough. And the best part? They have a lifetime guarantee, meaning that if they ever wear out you can send them back for a brand new pair. For hiking footwear I go between a pair of lightweight approach shoes for quick and dirty mountain ascents or anything involving scrambling and more heavy-duty boots for longer treks. I’ve worn a couple different versions of the lightweight but super durable Arc’teryx Konseal FL 2 approach shoes for a few years now and am very impressed with the durability. I also really like the thick toecap that keeps me protected every time I stumble into a root or large rock. For longer, tougher, or muddier treks I rely on my LOWA Camino EVO GTX, which I find insanely comfortable and made of very high quality.
I wear my Ar’teryx Gamma Lightweight Pants on every single hike I go on, and on many days when I’m not hiking. After several years of abuse they are still holding together extraordinarily well, with only a few small holes from where I’ve fallen down and some slight stains from being repeatedly coated with mud. They’re lightweight, breathable, and super comfortable. For lightweight and breathable hiking tops I’m a big fan of both the Patagonia Capilene Shirt and the MEC Core Shirt. My Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody shows up in a lot of my photos. It’s super lightweight and packable, and does a great job of cutting the wind while also being pretty breathable. I also have an Arc’teryx Atom Hoody and Arc’teryx Beta LT that I pull out for cooler or wetter conditions.
I hope you enjoyed this guide to Lower Shooting Star Falls on Vancouver Island! Feel free to leave any questions in the comment section below or to contact me directly via social media.