British Columbia has been in Phase 3 of the restart plan, which allows non-essential travel. Because of that and trying to make up a little bit of lost time, we took a trip out on our most recent long weekend. Since we're used to traveling north towards Whistler or south to the US (which isn't currently an option), we decided to head east instead. On this mini overnighter, we spent days around Abbotsford, Chilliwack and on the second day, we made this visit to Steelhead Falls in Mission.

About Steelhead Falls

Steelhead Falls Trail is a trail that's good for all skill levels including children and dogs. The trail is on the shorter side, but it features a beautiful cascading waterfall that makes this already easy hike even more worth it. In this same area, there are a few different hikes and trails that you can do, but the hike to Steelhead Falls was the one that we chose to do since we like to chase waterfalls!

Steelhead Falls Trail

• Type: Trail

• Length: 1.8 km

• Traffic: Moderate to Heavy

• Route Type: Out & Back

In terms of difficulty, this trail was pretty flat and easy. It's appropriate for children and in fact, we passed by quite a few families on the way. We also passed by a number of dogs, but not all of them were on-leash as per the rule for the trail. The trail is mostly the ones you would expect in British Columbia and throughout the trail, we heard a lot of unique and loud bird calls. The elevation gain on this trail wasn't much either and of course, the waterfall at the end makes it worthwhile.

The path is well-maintained and it's easy to follow for all types of hikers. There are some man-made parts during the hike and at one point, the path forks into two separate paths where one keeps going straight and another one starts to go downwards. To get to Steelhead Falls, you want to start down here. Be warned that the path gets a little bit steeper here, but it is still relatively easy to get to. This path eventually ends at Steelhead Falls and there are plenty of areas down there to enjoy the view of the waterfall. They have a platform or an observation deck that's built with rails and places to sit so you can relax there and enjoy nature.

There’s a bit of room around this platform to enjoy the waterfall and you can head down even further to the base of the waterfall as some people did. Since we had Markus with us, it was a little bit too steep for us to go down, but people were posing for pictures right next to the falls! We were happy enough just watching the waterfall from the top.

Note: See if you can notice this. I don’t know how long it’s been there, but it looked as though there was something that looked like a ball within the cracks of the rocks by the waterfall. I couldn’t really make out what it was, but I swear it was a basketball. If you’re doing the trail, see if you can spot it as well!

What we liked

• The waterfall at the end of the trail makes the hike worth it.

• The hike was maintained very well and it's an easy trail to do with your family or dogs.

What we didn't like

• The trail was fairly busy when we were there, especially right in front of the waterfall.

• Not all of the dogs were on-leash, which isn't great for a reactive dog like Markus even though that’s the rule for the trail.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

I found that the trail was mostly wide enough for dogs to pass by. Even though there were dogs on the trail and not all of them were on-leash (even though that's the rule), we didn't have any issues with the other dogs. That said, every dog reacts differently, so just be aware that not all of the owners follow the rule.

Another thing to mention was that the trail was quite busy. We were there over the weekend in the afternoon, but some areas of the trail were fairly busy especially once you get to the bottom in front of the waterfall. For this reason, we weren't able to spend as much time by the platform as we would've liked since crowds were forming and people were taking turns posing for the waterfall. Even with that, it was enough for us to enjoy the waterfall. If you're planning on doing this hike with your dog and they're not particularly good with crowds, I would come earlier in the day.

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.