Place Creek Falls is easily one of the most impressive waterfalls in British Columbia. Though the entire falls cannot be seen collectively, the portions that can be seen individually are, even by themselves, world class waterfalls. Fed by the moderately sized Place Glacier, Place Creek flows for only about 4 km before emptying to the valley floor and joining the Birkenhead River. Within that 4 km between the Glacier and the valley floor, the creek drops some 4500 feet, the last 1400 feet of that is this waterfall. Below the base of the falls, the creek enters a narrow slot gorge for a short distance, most of which is difficult to see however. Climbing incessantly next to the creek, during it's flight down the valley wall, is the Place Creek trail, which climbs to the toe of the Place Glacier. The trail beyond the base of Place Creek Falls is very steep, and only recommended to those in peak physical condition. Photographers beware! Place Creek Falls faces northwest, and during the early afternoon in the summer, the falls will be highlighted by reflections (some of which can be reduced with a polarizer). Additionally, the falls may be very poorly lit between 2:00 and 4:00 pm during the later summer months.

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From Pemberton BC, follow Highway 99 East / North to Mt. Currie, and stay straight (left) when Highway 99 goes right. Follow the paved road, signed for Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park and D'arcy, for 21km, about 1/2 km beyond the third railroad crossing after Hwy 99, to a short gravel spur on the right, ending promptly at a large parking area. From the parking lot, find an old two track road heading to the left and a gate just across the BC Rail tracks. The land on the other side is private, however the landowner consents to letting hikers cross the land. There is a locked gate which must be hopped. Stay left at the first junction, after crossing under a set of high tension lines. Keep on the track, crossing under a second set of power lines, then bear right after entering the woods, on a relatively obvious route, which may be a little overgrown. A short distance later, the trail intersects another road, go left. The trail is more obvious now, marked by orange tape where it fades. After about 1/2 km walking from the parking lot, you'll intersect Place Creek. The trail starts to steepen at this point as it enters the woods. There are a few places where it's easy to lose the trail, but if you stay relatively close to the creek's ravine, you'll be okay. At 1 km, the trail climbs steeply up a rocky outcrop, overlooking a wide gully cut by the raging creek below. As the trail bends left and climbs along a slot gorge, the bottom tier of the falls, dropping some 500 feet, begins to come into view, revealing themselves fully a measly 1.3 km from the road. Best views require scrambling about 50 feet off trail. The rest of the falls may or may not be easily seen from the trail, I didn't continue past the lower tier.

I'd recommend having a lens that can do anything between 20mm and 75mm when coming here. There are places to view the falls where a wide angle lens isn't necessary, but it may be at other locations. Spray can be a bit of a nuisance here, but it isn't too bad. Lighting, on the other hand, can be downright evil during certain times of day.

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