Englishman River Falls

Exit Highway 19 at Parksville and drive west for 5km along Highway 4, then turn left onto Errington Road and drive another 8km to its end at the park.The upper falls of the Englishman River are among the most unique on Vancouver Island. The falls stand somewhere between 75 and 100 feet tall but an exact height (or even a better estimate) is very difficult to come by because the falls drop into one of the narrowest canyons associated with any waterfall in British Columbia. As the river approaches the canyon it spreads broadly over a series of small bedrock steps, reaching a width of as much as 150 feet during high flow periods. The river then veils in a broad sheet into the canyon, entering at a 90 degree angle to the direction of exit at the bottom of the canyon - effectively flowing over the side of the canyon instead of the head. A footbridge spanning the gorge affords a view down into the chasm over 150 feet below but because its so narrow - maybe 10 feet at the most in the tightest areas - it is exceptionally difficult to accurately gauge the true height of the falls.