This week we head to Overlander Falls, located within Mount Robson Provincial Park, BC. We visited the falls back in March 2022, when there was still a lot of snow. We took the short trail to the falls, which was about 1km out-and-back with minimal elevation gain, but due to the snow, it was more safe to hike the trail with micro spikes and/or trekking poles. The trail itself was relatively short and easy to hike, and we reached the waterfall after hiking for about 10 minutes. The falls was located at a moderate distance from the viewpoint and there was no safe trail to get close to the falls, so we observed it at the viewpoint and took pictures at a distance. Fun fact, Overlander Falls is part of the flow of the Fraser River, the longest river in BC, Canada, that flows for 1375km (854 miles) into the Strait of Georgia.
On the highway, entering Mount Robson Provincial Park. I believe the mountain rising above the clouds is Mount Robson.
Parking area. A lot of snow still remain.
Sign at the trailhead.
The toilet is completely snowed in and inaccessible.
We reached the falls after a short hike in the snow. The info board tells the story/history of how the fall got its name. Text on the board reads:
In the Spring of 1862, a group of 175 men and one woman travelled overland from Ontario to reach the newly discovered goldfields of central British Columbia. At that time the usual route to the west coast was by sea, around the southern tip of South America, so this group - thought to be quite daring - was known as "The Overlanders".
The Overlanders passed by this spot in late August of 1862 en route to Tete Jaune Cache where they regrouped and rested. There the group split into two, one travelling by land and water along the North Thompson River Valley to Fort Kamloops and one travelling by water along the Fraser River to Quesnel.
After the long, difficult journey and tales of hardships in the goldfields, many of the Overlanders dismissed the idea of mining that year. Some settled in Fort Kamloops, many travelled on to the coast in search of work and others went back home. Few actually made it to the goldfields of the Cariboo.
Closer look at the falls.
Looking downstream past the falls along the earlier sections of the Fraser River. I believe the mountain in the background is Klapperhorn Mountain.
View of the falls and its flow down the Fraser River.
Pine needles with pine cones on the snow.
Sign saying toilets closed for the season. No shit, Sherlock. You couldn't even open the toilet doors to get in due to the snow.
Check out my previous hikes:
  1. The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
  2. The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
  3. The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
  4. Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
  5. It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
  6. The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
  7. The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park
  8. The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
  9. The Magnificent Stones of Zion National Park
  10. The Flowing Walls of Lower Antelope Canyon
  11. A Glimpse of Hope at the Hope Lookout Trail
  12. Turquoise Waters viewed from Sea to Summit Trail
  13. The Three Peaks of Mount Seymour
  14. The Serene Winter Scene at Dog Mountain
  15. Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge
  16. Yosemite National Park
  17. The Bear's Hump at Waterton National Park
  18. Views of Okanagan from Pincushion Mountain Trail
  19. The Half Frozen Waterfalls at Franklin Falls
  20. Hole in the Wall of Vancouver Island
  21. Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
  22. Winter Wonderland at Alexander Falls
  23. Eagle Bluffs
  24. Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park
  25. Admiralty Point
  26. Myra Canyon Trail
  27. Garabaldi Lake
  28. Botanical Beach Loop
  29. Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse Loop
  30. Whistler Train Wreck Trail
  31. Grouse Grind
  32. Crown Mountain
  33. Chance Cove Coastal Trail
  34. Big Four Ice Caves
  35. Stawamus Chief First Peak
  36. Four Lakes Trail at Alice Lake Provincial Park
  37. Four Lakes Trail Winter Revisit
  38. Lindeman Lake Trail
  39. Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
  40. Steelhead Falls
  41. Cascade Falls
  42. Dawson Falls
  43. Bridal Veil Falls
  44. Kay Falls and Bear Creek Falls
  45. Lions Bay Loop and Crystal Falls
Amazing views!
I live near the Himalayas and we don't have snow here. If we want to see some, we need to go up about 200 kilometres but this year winter is getting very late. No snow so far.
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53 sats \ 1 reply \ @gnilma OP 23h
I guess you're so far south that you need to get to very high elevation to see snow. It feels warmer than usual this time of year here this year as well. Not sure how mild or severe our winter will be this year though. We shall see.
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I think the winters will be as severe as they have been but they'll be extended like last year. We had no summers till the beginning of May last year and I see the same happening this year as well. The nature has changed a bit. Now winters are getting late and ending late.
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A toilet there? It's good to get one there. USA is definitely very much ahead in this.
Nice views!
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @gnilma OP 23h
There is usually a pit toilet at a lot of the trailheads here in BC. However, I do agree that the facilities in US National Parks and State Parks are top notch. And there's always going behind a tree if you can't find a toilet when nature calls.
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I'm surprised because we almost always have to go behind the bushes or a tree at my place.
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Just wow white landscape! Love it. There's very similar trek in Himalyas known as Yulla Kanda. Have downloaded some pictures. I'm going there between March to June.
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Make sure to share your adventure with us.
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I'll be moving on a Bitcoin Bike with a purpose and will be sharing not only the adventurous but also the achievements in detail.
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Sounds great! Looking forward to seeing your post.
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This climb was a very enjoyable adventure, while enjoying the clean air I saw that the pictures you took were very beautiful.
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Full credit to my wife. She takes the pictures, I just steal them.
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What a woman!
This sounds gross but if I pee outdoors in this kind of cold, does my pee freeze almost immediately? Legit Sci question ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™‚๏ธ
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Depends on how cold. Your pee comes out of your body pretty warm (about 37C), so it comes out hot and steamy in very cold weather. However, when you have cold enough weather to flash freeze your pee, you probably don't want to have any part of your skin exposed to such coldness.
So, the short answer is no, your pee won't freeze almost immediately when peeing here outdoors in winter. It does melt the snow and paint the snow yellow though.
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Fantastic scenery, mate. Love it.
Keep up the series! Quite the pow right there
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Thanks!
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Snow scenes woo hoo.
Winter is coming as they say. Canโ€™t wait to get my boots on and trek around in the snow.
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Take some pics while you trek and share them.
Curious question came to mind, do the great lakes freeze enough for people to be able to walk/skate on them? It would be so cool to be able to skate / play hockey on any of the great lakes!
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby 3 Nov
Maybe some daredevils skate on the great lakes in winter but it is probably no advisable. You would need a long stretch of very cold weather.
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Makes sense. Such large bodies of water take a long time of very cold weather to properly freeze. I'm assuming small lakes probably freeze over in the winter quite commonly in your neighborhood. We had that this past winter, I brought my kids skating on the local lake. Last time this happened (ice thick enough for walking/skating) was probably back in early 2017 or 2018, I don't remember exactly.
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