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Christie Falls

An easy stroll is followed by an exposed scramble to a spectacular cave and waterfall! The hike is MUCH easier if you don't go down to the foot of the waterfall.

Hiking Severe

Distance
2.4 km
Ascent
114 m
Descent
114 m
Duration
0-1 hrs
Low Point
1.2 km
High Point
1.3 km
Gradient
Christie Falls Map

This might not be the longest hike in the world, but its remote location and exposed sections make it a reasonably serious proposition. If you were to hurt yourself on the scramble down to the bottom of the falls you'd be an hour's bumpy drive from the nearest paved road, in prime bear country with no phone signal!

Description

The drive up to the parking lot is quite an adventure in itself and requires a high clearance vehicle (a standard SUV will make it fine, but a sedan, wagon or van might struggle). The state of the road deteriorates the closer you get to the parking lot, and the last few hundred metres are the worst, so if you come up in a standard car then you might be able to park a kilometre or so before the official parking lot and just walk the really rough bit of road.

Once at the parking lot proper, follow the only path (!) which winds through burned (but gradually regrowing) forests. The views are huge and the ambience peaceful, so savour the easy trip, which is interrupted only by a few fallen trees which you need to clamber over.

As you get closer to the edge of the falls you can see the hillside rolling away, and when you reach the edge of the cliff that houses the falls then you really get a sense of their scale. At this point, either walk as close as you dare to the edge, or commit to the exposed scramble down to the base. The scramble down isn't hard, and there's a rope in place to aid your progress, but there are some exposed sections and it wouldn't be a good place to fall. If you're not overly confident with exposure and easy scrambling then enjoying the view from the top of the falls might be the best bet!

If you do scramble down then you're in for a treat - the huge overhang which houses the falls is spectacular. There are various bits of hardware and ropes hanging down from the (presumably extremely strong!) rock climbers who frequent the falls, and even in the height of summer there will be water tumbling down.

Sit and ponder the world for a while and then scramble/hike back to the car.

Difficulty

Severe

Hiking challenging trails where simple scrambling, with the occasional use of the hands, is a distinct possibility. The trails are often filled with all manner of obstacles both small and large, and the hills are very steep. Obstacles and challenges are often unexpected and can be unpredictable.

High Exposure

3 out of 4

Some trail sections have exposed ledges or steep ascents/descents where falling could cause serious injury.

Remoteness

3 out of 4

Little chance of being seen or helped in case of an accident.

Best time to visit

between June and October

Features

  • Wildlife
  • Picturesque
  • Water features
  • Forestry or heavy vegetation