Wapta Falls
I got kind of lazy with Google maps when I went to see Wapta Falls - I had the destination wrong. Instead of driving to the falls trailhead, I drove to the Wapta camping area which is on the other side of the river. That wouldn't be a big deal, but there aren't that many bridges that cross the river, so I was a 30 minute drive from where I was supposed to be. From the Wapta camping area, I couldn't even see the falls, but I was already there and figured I'd explore.
On my Gaia app, I saw a trail that lead to a falls lookout, so I parked my car and set off on the trail. Much of the trail was a small road, wide enough for vehicles aside from some fallen trees. When the trail narrowed to a walking path, it narrowed a LOT. I was happy to be wearing long pants. I had to climb over and duck under a lot of fallen trees and I was constantly swinging a branch in front of me to sweep the spider webs from the air in front of my face. But I didn't have to walk far before I could hear the roar of the falls. I walked out of the woods and found myself on a cliff with a spectacular view.
I could see people in the distance, on the opposite shore of the river, but those were the only people I saw. I enjoyed a day of solitude.
On my Gaia app, I saw a trail that lead to a falls lookout, so I parked my car and set off on the trail. Much of the trail was a small road, wide enough for vehicles aside from some fallen trees. When the trail narrowed to a walking path, it narrowed a LOT. I was happy to be wearing long pants. I had to climb over and duck under a lot of fallen trees and I was constantly swinging a branch in front of me to sweep the spider webs from the air in front of my face. But I didn't have to walk far before I could hear the roar of the falls. I walked out of the woods and found myself on a cliff with a spectacular view.
I could see people in the distance, on the opposite shore of the river, but those were the only people I saw. I enjoyed a day of solitude.
Thompson Falls
I also hiked to Thompson Falls. A little smaller, but spectacular nonetheless. It was an easy 12 km in and out hike about 30 minutes from Golden. Most of the hike is through the forest and there isn't much to see, but the falls and canyon are worth the walk.