Crooked Falls

Crooked Falls can be partially viewed up close, and partially viewed from across the valley, but the entire waterfall cannot be seen from any one location (save perhaps the air). Roadside views of the falls can be had through windows between the trees lining the Squamish Valley Road about 20 kilometers north of the Sea-to-Sky Highway in Squamish, approximately 400 meters before reaching the bridge across the Squamish River marking the beginning of the Ashlu Main Forest Service Road. The falls will be difficult to see from across the valley in the afternoon hours.
Close up views of the falls are accessible via the steep Sigurd Creek Trail. From the roadside views listed previously, continue to the bridge over the Squamish River and then turn left onto the Ashlu Main and continue 2.3 kilometers to the trailhead just after the second of two bridges which span the Ashlu River, where the road makes a sharp bend. As of May 2018 the Ashlu Main was gated before the first bridge due to road damage - walk to the trailhead from the gate if or when it remains closed. The Sigurd Creek Trail starts by following an old logging road steeply up the mountain before leveling off after about half of a kilometer. After about 1.3 km, the trail branches to the right and begins climbing steeply away from the old road bed - watch for signs and blazes to mark the route. Over the next kilometer the trail climbs very steeply, at times by going literally straight up the side of the mountain. At the 2.2 km mark, the Crooked Falls Trail branches to the right and descends - again steeply at times - ending on a promontory directly across from the upper section of the falls in about another 300m.Crooked Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the Sea-to-Sky corridor in the southwestern part of British Columbia, but unfortunately as it lives up to its very aptly given name, only a small fraction of the entire falls can be seen and appreciated with any sort of ease. The falls occur along Sigurd Creek as it tumbles into the Squamish River valley near where the Ashlu River joins with the Squamish. The falls make at least three or four distinct nearly vertical steps , separated with sections of less steep cascades. The uppermost of the steep parts of the falls drops about 30-40 meters over broad cliff, veiling outward as it descends. The creek is then funneled to the right at a nearly 90-degree angle and tumbles down another 30 meters worth of cascades. After a linear run of about 60-70 meters, the creek then bends almost 90 degrees back to the left and drops over the largest part of the falls in anywhere from two to five distinct channels that braid out across the cliff face - this portion of the falls is unfortunately not visible from the trail and is heavily obscured by trees when viewed from the road across the valley. Below the large drop, the creek appears to funnel into a narrow gorge and may fall over two or three additional smaller tiers, but how big they may be is not known.
The exact height of Crooked Falls is difficult to determine because the base of the falls is quite thoroughly hidden within the thick forest, but topographic data suggests the entire drop may approach 200-220 meters (650+ feet), with a bare minimum drop of at least 150 meters (500 feet). When surveyed in May of 2018 we were only able to verify the height of the portion of the falls visible from the end of the trail and the cascading run out which leads into the largest part of the falls as about 60 meters (197 feet).
Because of its height and the considerable volume of Sigurd Creek, Crooked Falls had in the recent past been considered for hydroelectric development. In 2008 however the Esté-tiwilh / Sigurd Creek Conservancy was established around the falls and the majority of the Sigurd Creek basin to protect areas held sacred to the Squamish First Nation, thus preserving Crooked Falls in its natural state.
Sigurd Creek is a moderately large drainage which flows north from the heart of the Tantalus Range and enters the Squamish River just downstream of the Ashlu River. The drainage covers an area of approximately 23 square kilometers (about 8.9 square miles), and features several lakes of modest size, as well as three glaciers of small to moderate size on the north flank of Pelion Mountain. The glaciers ensure a moderate to potentially heavy flow of water throughout the late summer months, while the overall larger size of the basin and the very wet climate of the Pacific Coast Mountains will guarantee a heavy flow of water during the wet season and through the spring freshet. The flow can in fact be so strong at times that viewing the falls from the end of the trail may be almost impossible due to the deluge of spray.