McBride & Robson Valley / Full trip pack
Beaver / Holmes River Falls
- Round trip
- 2 km
- Elevation gain
- Not established Cumulative ascent for this outing has not been established.
- Walking time
- Unconfirmed
- Difficulty
- Easy
return
https://hikingprincegeorge.com/hikes/beaver-holmes-river-falls
A riverside walk near McBride to a small cascade, with old forest and opportunities to observe migrating salmon in August.
1. Getting there and parking
Follow Highway 16 east from McBride for about 11 km to the Holmes River bridge. The historical Green Guide places the walking-trail pullout on the west side of the highway bridge; this is separate from the Beaver River forest-road approach and campsite on the other side of the crossing. Look for the signed river trail and a safe pullout. The exact current parking arrangement has not been reconfirmed, so do not stop on the travelled highway lane.
- The tourism guide locates the access about 11 km east of McBride, on the north side of the Highway 16 crossing of the Beaver/Holmes River.
2. Walking the route
Follow the established path upstream beside the Holmes, also called the Beaver River, to the waterfall viewpoints, then retrace the riverside approach. The tourism description gives an approximately 2 km return outing and highlights a variety of tree species along the way. August is a useful time to watch for salmon moving upstream. Riverbank erosion and slick rock beside the falls are specifically identified in the older guide; stay on the landward side of the bank and view the cascade from the trail rather than descending onto wet ledges.
- Follow the trail upstream along the west side of the Beaver/Holmes River toward the small waterfall.
- Turn around at the falls-viewing section and retrace the riverside path; the tourism guide describes a 2 km out-and-back outing.
The return
Return along the same west-bank trail. The source’s 2 km figure is the complete return, not a 2 km approach.
3. Route map
Mapped named trail
© OpenStreetMap contributors. Route geometry is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. · Line source · Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Source-line database: https://hikingprincegeorge.com/data/osm-route-lines.geojson
Partial elevation profile
Partial elevation profile
This chart covers only part of the route. It does not establish the full hike or a return journey.
1.04 km along source section 1 of 1, in its mapped direction.
Approximate 90 m terrain model along this mapped section. Separate sections are not joined. This chart does not measure total trail ascent or establish current access; use the guide’s published outing measurements.
Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1560876829. Sampled and rounded for display.
Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence
Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Profile source checked: 2026-10-18
Published locations
Numbered points match the map. Use the role beside each point. A summit or park reference point is not a parking location.
| Place and role | Coordinates | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beaver / Holmes River Falls historical published trailhead / parking area (2010) | 53.251678 -120.027555 | Beaver / Holmes River Falls trailhead: 53 15.1007 N, 120 1.6533 W (degrees and decimal minutes), PDF page 1.
Historical source parking location; current access not confirmed. The tourism-hosted guide identifies itself as a research copy and says access, trails and amenities have not been updated. Coordinate provenance is verified; current access is not. Source date: 2010 https://mcbridetourism.ca/wp-content/uploads/McBrides-Green-Guide.pdf |
5. Camping, facilities and seasons
Camping and tenting
The older Green Guide describes a separate riverside campsite reached about 1 km along Beaver River Forest Road. That is a historical camping reference, not confirmation that overnight use or facilities are currently available beside the waterfall trail.
Season and access
The tourism guide identifies August for salmon viewing. High water changes the river edge and the older guide records eroding banks; snow or ice can add difficulty to the same short approach.
Practical details checked 2026-10-17.
Your trip notes
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