Directions: The trailhead for Nile Creek Falls is located at the Nile Creek bridge between the Horne Lake Caves and Cook Creek lights on Highway 19 also known as the Upper Island Highway. There is trail access from both lanes of the highway on the north side of the bridge. On the southbound section of the highway there is a two car parking space in front of the yellow gate that keeps your vehicle a off the highway and makes for a safer entrance.
Trail: From the north-bound lane you will take the trail under the bridge and keep heading west until you reach a sign informing you to leave little impact and your pets at home, as the area is home to many walks of wildlife including predators. From the south-bound lane follow the trail past the yellow gate and take your first right to get to this same worn out sign. This begins the magical trail through a green nature wonderland full of natural wonder and MANY types of fungi through the fall and spring.
The trail is very muddy at points and around 5 Km there and back. I rate it as moderate for there are some steep hill climbs and enduring making it fairly lengthy to get to the last of the falls. Around 10 minutes into the trail you will reach a Y- Section and have the choice to go down or up. Take the trail on your right heading up into the forest and it will loop you around back to Nile Creek and to the falls ahead. From here stay along side the river and take every little trail that hooks towards the stream. At each of these side trails are view points for the many wonders you are about to experience.
More Information: For the ultra-adventurous looking for a little more of a challenge, you can start your hike to the falls in Bowser at the end of Charlton Drive. This makes for a great overnight hiking trip if you want to spend a little more time exploring and taking in your surroundings.
Bonus: Once you have reach the top of the falls the stream and trail continues on for many more kilometers into a very interesting forest which you could explore for days. The forest is very lush and abundant with life, it seems to be attributed to the massive amounts of red clay found in its soils which retain water and nutrients. The stream also has pockets of red clay through out, which makes for interesting variations in the scene for the photographers, and maybe a facemask for those truly down to earth.
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