Visible just a hundred meters across the water from the Departure Bay ferry terminal, a small creek gently runs into the waters of Departure Bay, tracing a ribbon of water through the rocky beach at low tide. Before reaching the bay Northfield Creek winds its way down the long but narrow Beach Estates Park, bordered on either side by that typical lush Vancouver Island forest, The park is less than 100 m wide though, and that same lush forest is pressed in on by suburban Nanaimo on either side.
Thanks to its small size, Beach Estates Park is often forgotten about. Most Nanaimans intent on spending time connecting with nature would likely be found driving up-island somewhere as opposed to exploring their local suburbs. And that’s fair – most people’s suburbs aren’t worth exploring. Nanaimo however is full of hidden gems nestled within little tiny city parks.
The trail to Northfield Falls is a short easy walk, just a few minutes from a Tim Horton’s and Save on Foods. Chances are you’ll be spending more time enjoying the falls themselves than on the walk there and back.
Continue reading this blog post for everything you need to know to experience Northfield Falls in Nanaimo 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 Northfield Falls as good (if not better) than you found them, both for their preservation and for the enjoyment of other visitors.
Northfield Falls Round Trip Details
Distance: 0.1 KM / 328 Ft
Elevation Gain: 13 M / 42 FT
Hiking Time: 10 mins
When to Visit Northfield 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. Northfield Falls is located just below a storm drain, meaning that when it rains, this waterfall flares up dramatically compared to other waterfalls. Some waterfalls including Northfield Falls sometimes dry up during the summer, so if visiting during July either try and time your visit with recent rainfall of lower your expectations accordingly.
How to Get to Northfield Falls Trailhead
Northfield Falls is easily accessed as its right in the heart of Nanaimo! Parking is in the tiny Church of the Nazarene parking lot. If the lot is full, there are tons of other options for parking including a Save-on-Foods across the street.
Click here to open the exact trailhead location in Google Maps.
My Walk to Northfield Falls
Parking in the small church lot. The trail begins through the trees seen at center. If the church parking lot is full, there is a large supermarket parking lot visible just across the street.
The start of the walk down.
The path follows along Northfield Creek. It had been raining when we visited so we immediately saw how high the water was and the knew the waterfall wasn’t going to disappoint.
Possibly not the cleanest water in the world, but we’re not here to go swimming.
The stairs are easy to walk on and super convenient. No slipping and sliding in the mud!
A few minutes from the start and our first view of the falls cascading down.
A bridge crosses the creek just past the falls, providing the perfect vantage point. From here the trail follows the creek down all the way to Departure Bay. It’s worth continuing if you’d like to extend your walk. We choose to turn around here and head to more Nanaimo waterfalls instead. 😉
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 Northfield Falls in Nanaimo! Feel free to leave any questions in the comment section below or to contact me directly via social media.