Hike to the Monkman Cascades

This hike starts about 60 km south of the community of Tumbler Ridge, BC at the Monkman Park Campground.  Hikers may also elect to take the short walk to see majestic Kinuseo Falls located near the campground. The Monkman Cascades is a collection of waterfalls intricately arranged over a few kilometers on the Monkman Creek.  The hike consists of four sections, each with unique elements.  Kilometers 1 - 7 run from the parking lot, follows the bank of the Murray River, crossing several minor creeks and streams and ends with a river crossing on a wobbly, but safe cable bridge.  The first of the 3 campsites is located on a short detour.  All of the campsites include a fire ring, seating, bear caches and a pit toilet.  The bridge and campsite will be the last of any available water until Km 14.5. The second leg of the journey starts with a quick ascent onto the ridge that eventually gives the first views of the Monkman Creek and valley.  Km 8 - 9 are spent mostly climbing and weaving in and out of views of the river a creek.  The path follows the ridge for with several good viewpoints until Km 14, when it plunges down into the valley.  Just off the ridge is the second camp, Trot Camp hidden in the forest along a small creek.  The trail continues to descend through the forest over several minor and major creeks until the first signs for the Cascades can be seen around Km 18. Hikers may choose to go down this route or walk another two kilometres to the next access point to Shire Camp(recommend and the one we took).  Shortly after descending on this trail, the forest cover gives way to sparse tree cover and exposed rocky terrain.  Within a km of following signs over this area we arrived at Shire Camp.  From this campsite, we could see Shire Falls directly in front of us, walk about 2 minutes to the top of Brooks Falls and walk another minute and hop out on a rock to see Monkman Falls.  We managed to dodge rain on the second day and walked the 10 minutes to see Mc Ginnis Falls where all of the water coming through Monkman Creek rushes through a narrow chute.  Heavy extended rain made the rocky ridge very slick and after trying to wait out the moisture, we decided to cut the trip short.  Although we would have seen more if it had been drier and less slick, this trip was well worth the effort.  The proximity and arrangement of waterfalls between the mini lakes formed by the creek is both unique and stunning.  The cloud cover limited our views of the surrounding mountain peaks which are also worth viewing.  

Bug spray and rain gear are a must for this trail as the trail is partially overgrown and there is lots of thick vegetation in many spots. It is bear country, act accordingly and bring your preferred deterrents. Hiking the entire route in took 7 hours and is possible, but also pretty tiring -- plan according to your abilities.  Make sure you bring something to capture the beauty of the area.