Elk Falls Provincial Park

• June 18, 2019 Spring 2020

  Plant Advisory: Cow Parsnip and Giant Hogweed

  Cow Parsnip is a native plant and is part of healthy and diverse ecosystems in BC Parks. It is also a culturally important plant for many local First Nations. Cow Parsnip can sometimes be confused with the very toxic and invasive plant Giant Hogweed. BC Parks would like you to advise visitors that Cow Parsnip can also cause people’s skin to react to sunlight if they come in contact with it, although much less severely than for Giant Hogweed. Cow Parsnip can be located throughout the park and along trails and campsite edges. BC Parks encourages visitors to take necessary steps to avoid coming in contact with the plant and to stay on designated trails and sites.

  • Cow Parsnip vs Giant Hogweed

A thundering waterfall and some of the finest year-round salmon fishing in Canada are just two of the reasons Elk Falls is one of the most popular provincial parks on Vancouver Island. Add to that the extensive network of forest trails, the nearby Quinsam salmon hatchery and, in the fall, the sight of spawning salmon in the Quinsam and Campbell Rivers, and it’s easy to see why this provincial park is considered one of the best campground accommodations in the “Salmon Capital of the World.”

This convenient location – just 2 kilometres from downtown Campbell River on central Vancouver Island – provides quiet riverside camping in the heart of a world-renowned fishing area. And you don’t have to go far to find fish – from November to March, the steelhead run right by the campsites on the Quinsam River. As spring progresses, lakes in the area – many of which have been stocked – ripple with rainbow, cutthroat and dolly varden trout. During late spring and through the summer, fishermen head to the tidal waters to fish for chinook or coho salmon.

After a morning of fishing, pack a picnic lunch and take a cool stroll to the Elk Falls day-use area. Just 3 km from the campground, this picnic area contains easy walking trails and the plunging 25-metre waterfall that gives this park its name. Hiking trails also lead to other areas in the park, which is home to the only significant stand of old-growth Douglas fir north of MacMillan Provincial Park.

The large campground at Elk Falls Provincial Park provides a convenient base camp for day tripping. Gold River, destinations in the Sayward Forest, Kelsey Bay, Rock Bay, and the parks of Quadra and Cortes Islands are within easy reach.

Date Established: Park – December 20, 1940; Protected Area – March 3, 2013
Size: Park – 1,055 hectares; Protected Area – 16 hectares

All campsite reservations must be made through Discover Camping. When reservations are not available all campsites function as first-come, first-served.

Campsite reservations are accepted and first-come, first-served sites are also available.

• Location Map

Any maps listed are for information only; they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

• Park Map [PDF] (January 21, 2020)
• Parking and trail locations in Elk Falls Park and on BC Hydro property [PDF 2.5MB] (January 15, 2020)

• In the campground, each of the campsite posts identifies a tree, shrub or flower growing adjacent to the post or near the campsite.
  • Guide to the “Post Plants” [PDF]
• Wildlife: Wildlife in Elk Falls Park includes a variety of small mammals and birds. Great blue herons, killdeer, Glaucous-winged gulls, crows, Chestnut-backed chickadees, Golden-crowned kinglets and starlings are the most abundant resident bird species. Mammals include deer, bears and cougars, as well as shrews, squirrels, voles, raccoons, mink, river otters, muskrat and beaver. A beaver dam and pond are located west of the campground. Roosevelt elk also utilize portions of the park for winter range. Fish species include steelhead, cutthroat and Dolly Varden trout, three spine stickleback, fresh water Sculpin and chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye salmon.
  • General Wildlife, Marine & Outdoor Ethics Information

• Management Planning Information
• Approved management plan for Elk Falls Provincial Park [PDF 1.02MB]
  Disclaimer:
  This is not the original management planning product. This document has been scanned from the original format of the plan. It may contain some formatting changes, however the content is consistent with the original.

Cycling

Fishing

Hiking

Pets on Leash

Swimming

Wildlife Viewing

Accessibility

Campfires

Drinking Water

Picnic Areas

Pit or Flush Toilets

Playground

Sani-Station/Dump

Vehicle Accessible Camping

Winter Camping