Gold Creek - Maple Ridge

This is the begining of a new blog series - Places to Go Summer Edition. I'll blog about all the places I go in the lower mainland (British Columbia) and hopefully it will inspire you to get out and visit some cool places. This one is about Gold Creek. It's in the Alouette area (for those familiar with this region).

Above - One of the smaller waterfalls at Gold Creek

We drove down a smooth road for about half an hour to get to Gold Creek from our residence in Maple Ridge. After thirty minutes, the smooth road transformed into a bumpy mess of a trail. We bumped up and down, whispering prayers that it would all end soon and eventually it did. We arrived at a crowded parking lot and drove around for ten minutes looking for a spot that would accommodate our large van. After obtaining a parking spot, we filed out the van silently, like prisoners arriving at the gallows. We were unsure if this would be a fun adventure or another failed family outing. We made our way to the start of the trail and looked at the map. It was easy to read and we knew exactly where we wanted to go. However, some of the kids were not fooled by this simple map. Many times had we seen maps such as this that eventually led up mountains with no view what-so-ever and ended in misery (and a couple pounds less for each of us). We followed the trail and encountered several people hiking back. Was it good that there weren't many people, or was this the spot where the cool kids didn't hang out and the desperate families of Maple Ridge were forced to go to on hot, sweltering days like this one? After about five minutes, we arrived at a rocky beach. The water was crystal clear and we all dipped our toes in, getting a good feel of the water. It was freezing cold and offered the perfect refreshment from the burning sun. We were immediately dragged out of the water to have sunscreen slathered onto us, as unwilling as we all were. After having our sunscreen applied, all of the kids jumped into the water. The boogie boards and other inflatables were divied up and we began the adventure. The water was shallow in most places, not quite reaching my knees, but there was one place where it camp almost past my head. We were all reluctant to leave the cool oasis we had found, but we did as we were promised a waterfall. We hiked up the dirt trail for fifteen more minutes. Overall the trail didn't actually require hiking, but the home stretch leading to the waterfall required us to put a little effort into our walk. We arrived at the waterfall and were amazed at the beautiful view. The water cascaded over rocks and plummeted down twenty-five feet where it hit the water below with a splash. The effect was mesmerizing and we all stared at it in awe for several minutes. Our trance was broken when the camera was brought out and we were made to pose for a picture. We then scrambled down the rocks to get closer to the water but we were upset when we were told it was too dangerous. The waterfall was too big and would easily suck you under it's current so we agreed to hike back and find somewhere else to swim. Half way back we found a deeper section of the river where we could swim without worrying about the current pulling us away or hitting our toes on the bottom of the river. Thus concluded our visit as we made our way back to the van, dripping wet and happy. This was a successful family outing and one of the better ones in my opinion. My rating out of ten - 7.5/10. I gave it a 7.5 because it was a great trail. It was quite short though, only amounting to thirty-five minutes each way max. The water was very cold which was great for the hot weather we were experiencing, but it wouldn't be good to go in during late spring. I would've preferred for the trail to be gravel because it was a little annoying to have dirt sticking to my wet legs, but other than that it was fine. One other thing I would fix would be the parking lot. All though it was big, there simply wasn't enough room. It was pretty full and I suspect that it wasn't only hikers using the parking lot. Also, why is it called Gold Creek? It was a river... Things to bring - Sunscreen Floaties and boogies boards (They make everything so much more fun!) Swim suit (if you're planning to swim) Snacks Proper foot wear (If you're planning on hiking the whole trail, then running shoes would be helpful) Would I go there again? Definitely.

#PlacestoGoSummerEdition