Where is Bosumarne Falls and what are there to do?

While chatting with my friends at home, I realized it had been a long time since we went out for a walk. We had previously agreed to go on a trip together every once in a while, which would not only exercise our bodies but also allow us to see beautiful scenery. Our mode of transportation is unique: we always walk, completing every journey on foot. This time, our destination is Bosumarne Falls.

This trail is located in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. Last week, a friend wanted to hike there but couldn’t find the entrance, so he went back determined to find it. As the trail is considered easy (2.5 km round trip, 75 meters elevation gain), we added the Teapot Hill trail in Cultus Lake Provincial Park (5 km round trip, 250 meters elevation gain, easy level) to the trip, which would be enough exercise for the day.

The weather was good, but there were some clouds. The sun was hiding and appearing in the gaps of the clouds, making the light somewhat unpredictable.

We drove to Cultus Lake Provincial Park first. There were already many people in the park, and there were some sailboats and speedboats on the green lake. The parking lot at the entrance of the Teapot Hill trail was full, so we had to park on the side of the road. I don’t understand the origin of the name Teapot Hill. I searched online for a long time, but I still couldn’t figure it out. Instead, I found a news article saying that a few years ago, someone had encountered a cougar on the trail. It may have been too hungry and ran out randomly, only to be captured. We didn’t see the teapot at the foot of the mountain. Instead, we saw a real teapot among the branches all the way up the mountain. Did the name of the mountain lead some people to bring teapots to the mountain, or was it named after the discovery of a teapot on the mountain? We don’t know.

View of Cultus Lake from Teapot Hill

The trail was easy to walk on, but we had to sweat a little going uphill. The scenery was lacking, and the lake and mountains outside were hidden by the tall trees. For us, who wanted both exercise and beautiful scenery, this was a bit of a drawback. Even at the top of the mountain, we could only see a small part of Cultus Lake below. Of course, for us, this was just a warm-up. After lunch and a short rest, we headed for Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.

Chilliwack Lake

Following the address of the Bosumarne Falls trail on the internet, we arrived in front of a house about 4 km from Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park. We knew that the entrance wouldn’t be here, but it should be nearby. And the road is at the mouth, so it’s easy to ask the locals. So we knocked on the door and asked for directions. Actually, there was no door, and I asked a lady on the driveway. She also said the entrance was hard to find and told me to drive west for 2 minutes, then there would be a pile of rocks on the side of the road and a ditch cutting off the entrance road. The path is there. So I thanked the lady and slowly drove along the side of the road.

About 2 minutes later, I saw a place like the lady said, so I got out of the car and walked in. After crossing a deep ditch about 2 meters wide, we came to an open space with many tree-cutting marks and many young trees growing. We walked for a while without seeing any road, and we hesitated, but we still retreated to the highway. We continued to move forward and saw another trail entrance. Although it didn’t have the characteristics mentioned by the lady, we still went in to see what was inside. We only walked for a while, and this trail wasn’t going into the forest as described, but parallel to the highway. While we were wondering, we saw the exit. Wow, we were back on the side of the highway. We looked around reluctantly, and a friend found a car parked on the side of the road. Cars parked on the side of the road here are mostly hikers, so we went towards the car. We saw that the place where the car was parked had rocks and ditches as the lady said, and there was no one in the car (probably they were hiking). There was also a road going into the forest. Everyone guessed that this was probably it. So everyone was excited and went into the forest along the path.

It’s called exploration because: first, we weren’t sure if it was the trail we were looking for; second, there was a warning sign at the entrance warning people not to shoot, which seemed to imply that something illegal had happened in this place (we guessed that it was illegal hunting or logging); and third, we were wondering why such a good trail didn’t even have a sign. Did the park department have some unspeakable reasons for not wanting people to go there?

Like the first entrance, we passed a large open area with many tree-cutting marks and young trees. At a fork in the road, we decided to go left. According to a friend, that side was higher and there was a higher chance of finding streams and waterfalls. We continued forward, and finally, we heard the long-awaited sound of running water as we approached the forest. At the edge of the forest, we finally saw the happy orange ribbons – those are the trail markers!

As we entered the trail, as described, we quickly saw the lower waterfall, but it wasn’t the insignificant little waterfall as described, but rather multiple rapid streams rushing through rocks, trees, and moss, forming beautiful undulations. Under the flickering sunlight, it formed a beautiful bonsai.

Bosumarne Lower Falls

Crossing the wooden bridge

The water gurgles, the stream rushes

After searching high and low, we finally found you – Bosumarne Falls!

We laughed and took pictures excitedly, as if to wipe away all the emotions of loss, hesitation, and worry we had felt during the search. The waterfall roared even more joyfully, perhaps infected by our happiness. We continued along the trail upwards, and streams cascaded down from the mountain all the way, forming many beautiful cascades. We crossed a small bridge made of four logs and continued winding our way up the rugged mountain path until we finally reached the upper waterfall.

Compared to the exquisite bonsai-like lower waterfall, the upper waterfall was imposing. The thirty-meter waterfall was divided into four levels. The top level gently cascaded down, like a small test before a jump. Then the second level plunged straight down, and the protruding rocks in the mountain cliff caused the waterfall to scatter, forming a fan-shaped third level. Finally, the fourth level crashed heavily into the pool below, rested for a moment, and then the stream continued to rush down.

The water splashed, the source flowed long

We walked close to the waterfall, the splashing water powder splashed on our faces, washing away the fatigue of the journey. We excitedly took photos, enjoyed the scenery, took deep breaths of the fresh and unspoiled air, and felt the joy of successfully exploring.

After enjoying and resting enough, we laughed and headed back. As we passed through the open area in front of the entrance, we suddenly heard a “whoosh” sound. Everyone looked towards the left slope, and we saw a large tree slowly falling – we looked at each other, wow! If this had happened when we were going in, would we have dared to go inside? How come the tree just fell down? We saw some leaves on the road that looked like they were infested with some kind of pest. Were the trees cut down in the open area forced? Then, are the remaining tall trees in the open area still strong?

We didn’t dare think about it, let’s go home!

【Hiking Tips】

1. Remember to wear sunscreen, regardless of the season. The sun shines for a long time, the ultraviolet rays are strong, and it is especially bad for the skin.

2. Make sure you understand the local geography and weather conditions, choose a safe hiking route, and mark it so that you don’t get lost.

3. A pair of hiking shoes, bright and washable clothes, hiking poles.

4. Be sure to bring plenty of water and pack some chocolate. Bring some common medicines, wind oil, and quick-acting heart relief medicine. Remember that you cannot eat while hiking.

5. Remember “Don’t look at the scenery while walking, and don’t walk while looking at the scenery.”

6. It is best to hike in the morning or in the morning, and you should go down the mountain and return to the base in the afternoon. Don’t change your hiking route or time without authorization.

7. Don’t rush when hiking, the worst thing is to walk fast.

8. If you get a scratch while hiking, you can bring some first aid medicine.

9. You should make a full arrangement of your physical strength before hiking. Otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with it if you and your teammates are physically exhausted.