As I write this, we're still in the midst of COVID-19. We've been doing our part staying indoors and practicing social distancing and as a whole, British Columbia has been doing very well. Since we've only taken Markus out of his regular neighbourhood walks a handful of times, we woke up extra early to do a hike with him. For this hike, we drove all the way out to Golden Ears Provincial Park to do the Gold Creek Falls Trail there.

About Golden Ears Provincial Park

The Golden Ears Provincial Park is a massive and impressive park in British Columbia that spans over 600 square kilometres. It includes plenty of trails and campgrounds with opportunities to hike, go camping and horseback riding. At the centre of the park is the beautiful Alouette Lake, a popular spot for swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing and a number of other water activities.

During our time at Golden Ears Provincial Park, we did the Gold Creek Falls Trail and spent a little bit of time at Alouette Lake on the way out.

Gold Creek Falls Trail

• Type: Trail

• Length: 5.2 km

• Traffic: Moderate

• Route Type: Out & Back

One of the things we love about living in the Pacific Northwest is the number of hikes that end with a waterfall. I realize that it is such a luxury for us to have a choice of hikes and trails that end with a waterfall and in the case of the Gold Creek Falls Trail, two waterfalls. We enjoyed the hike here with Markus and we wanted to share a little bit of what you can expect.

The trailhead to the Gold Creek Falls Trail is about 12 kilometres from the entrance of the park. You'll have to drive a little while longer before you're there, but what's nice is that there's a dedicated parking lot for people hoping to do the hike. There are also a couple of washrooms you can use here prior to doing the hike.

Since it had rained in the morning, the trail was extremely muddy. At some points of the hike, there was no other option than to step into the mud to get through. Being a bit of a cleaner dog, Markus avoids the mud at all costs and he managed to walk along the edges where the plants meet the path, but there's not enough room there for humans. We just had to cut through and hope it didn't sink even more as we were going. If you're planning on doing this hike and it had rained, you're been warned to put on proper footwear!

The majority of the hike to the Lower Falls is fairly easy since it's flat most of the way without much elevation gain. Since the trail is down from the waterfall, there are paths that branch out of the main trail that bring you closer to the water. By this point, the water's not as strong as it is at the waterfalls and it's a good place for your dog to get their paws wet. For our hike, we headed straight to the waterfalls and didn't make these stops until we were making our way back.

When you get to the base of the Lower Falls, there's a little beach area right before the path that leads you to the waterfall. There were people spending time by the water here and I'd imagine this would be a swimming hole on nicer days. The water is also very clean here as there were trail runners stopping to fill their bottles!

From this beach area, it's just a short walk up to the Lower Falls, where the views are great and the falls are powerful. The main viewing area is fenced off, but you can get closer to the water around the falls by going down by the rocks, but just make sure to do it safely. There were other people climbing the rocks to get a better photo with the falls, but some of these rocks might be too steep and slippery for dogs so we don't really recommend going too far.

We discovered this after the fact, but you actually have the option to keep going past this waterfall to the Upper Falls. Since we didn't have reception, we didn't know how much more of a hike it was to get to the Upper Falls. It turned out to an extra 1 km, but with a much steeper elevation gain. In hindsight, we wish we had done it!

What we liked

• The waterfalls at the end are powerful and the water was so crisp and clean.

• It was a nice trail with stops along the falls.

• The trail is close proximity to Alouette Lake.

• When we went, there was plenty of parking.

What we didn't like

• There were a number of off-leash dogs along the way and the owners didn't have very good control of the dogs.

• The paths were extremely muddy and there was no way to go around these areas than to go through.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

While Markus didn't have any issues with the hike or at Alouette Lake, we did come across a number of off-leash dogs. At some of these paths that branch off of the main trail, there were dogs off-leash running along the shallower waters and the beach. Some of these owners didn't really quite have control of their dog even though we were actively trying to avoid them.

There was one other dog in particular that left their owner on the hiking trail and followed us to one of the smaller paths. This was admittedly pretty annoying for us since Markus wasn't reacting well to the dog that was fully off-leash and we had no idea who the owners of the dog was - they were nowhere in sight. When Markus started reacting to the dog, it eventually took off back into the trail where we assume it rejoined its owners.

Alouette Lake

On the way out of the park, we made a stop at Alouette Lake. If you're driving back toward the entrance of the park from the Gold Creek Falls Trail parking lot, there's a sign and a dedicated turn on your left that'll take you down towards the lake. There are a couple things to keep in mind here.

When you get down to the parking lot, there are actually two really large lots. You do have to cut through the first lot to get to the farther second parking lot, but the second lot is the popular one. It's the one that people generally like to go to because there are some dedicated family areas by the lake that includes rentals for water activities and picnic tables, etc. It really is the place where families go to spend an afternoon. 

Unfortunately, dogs aren't allowed in this area and there are plenty of signs throughout the parking saying as much, so you really can't mistake it. For dog owners, we have to stick around the first parking lot, which still offers a unique and beautiful view of the lake on its own.

From the first parking lot, there are a couple entry points. This part of the lake is a bit more trail-like (whereas the other parking lot is more of a park). The trail does eventually fork and the right path takes you down toward the family picnic area by the second parking lot. If you go left on the trail, you will eventually be brought down towards the water where there are a couple of docks or benches for you to sit quietly to enjoy the view. There's also a small beach area where you can bring your dog down to Alouette Lake.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.