Crystal Falls Trail is Closed

The route to Crystal Falls passes through private property. As of February, 2021 “No Tresspassing” signs have been placed along the trail by landowners. The City of Coquitlam has also placed signs at the trailhead.

This is officially our last hike of the 2020 summer season! We decided to check out Crystal Falls in Coquitlam, a popular family friendly trail on the last day of summer, and the whole experience did not disappoint. This is such a beautiful trail and Junior even hiked a big portion himself!

Trail Condition

This is a beautiful 6 km out and back trail (3km to the falls) that is mostly shaded and covered with rocks and dirt (Check AllTrails Info). It is not stroller friendly but we did see a dad rough it with a 3-wheel stroller successfully. The trail head starts at a residential neighbourhood, and after a narrow slope, you will arrive at a forested path with the Coquitlam River running alongside the trail. We love how close the river is to the path, listening to the sounds of this fast flowing river is so relaxing that even Junior wanted to stay a while and just admire the view.

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The first section of the trail can be narrow and some parts can be slippery especially after the rain we had yesterday. The trail soon opens up and become wide and flat for the most part. However, some sections are very muddy and you may have to find narrow side trails to go pass these sections of mud.

There are several small streams to cross by walking on stepping stones or logs, which can be unstable and slippery. I had trouble balancing on the rocks at one of the streams and accidentally dipped my whole feet in the water… hiking in wet shoes for the rest of the day was not fun.

One of these streams were larger and more difficult to cross, but there is a small path to go around it.

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Despite some difficulties on the trail, the beauty of the forest is worth it. There are tall trees that formed a nature’s hallway. Several big tree logs lead the trail in various parts, giving the trail a multitude of changing scenes.

After going through a smaller narrow path, you will soon arrive at Crystal Falls. This is a small waterfall that flows into the Coquitlam River below. Some people continued uphill onto a very steep tree branch covered trail; however, this is discouraged.

Then we retraced our steps, crossed those same streams again, then got back to the starting point. By then, both babies were fast asleep. Any hike that ends with babies sleeping is a success in our book!

Other Activities

Mountain biking seems quite popular on this trail, as we probably seen a dozen of them during our hike. We may take Junior here for some mountain biking in the future.

There are also a few people snacking by the waterfall. There are no picnic tables nor benches around here, so you will have to sit on logs or rocks.

Traffic

This is a heavily trafficked trail with hikers and mountain bikers.

Pets

We met quite a few people walking their dogs, many of whom are off leash.

Washroom

Since the trail started basically in a small cul-du-sac of a private neighbourhood, there are NO washroom anywhere on this trail.

Parking

There is limited neighbourhood street parking available, and it gets quite busy on a weekend. There were no parking spaces beside the trailhead when we came, so we had to park a block away on the south side of Davis Ave.

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This is a fun hike for junior and he completed almost 2 km all by himself. We will certainly come back again and maybe enjoy some mountain biking here.

• Difficulty: moderate (was rated easy on AllTrails but too much mud and having to cross small streams made it a moderate trail for us)
• Pedestrian traffic: heavy
• Pets traffic: moderate
• Facilities: none (no washrooms)
• View: Beautiful forest walk with a small waterfall in the end
• Overall score: 7/10