Hike Valemount’s salmon trails: George Hicks & Rearguard Falls
By Laura Keil
The salmon are here! Two trails close to Valemount will lead you to one of nature’s most astounding phenomenon: the spawning migration of chinook and sockeye salmon. At George Hicks Park right now you can get an up close look at the female salmon creating a nest (called a redd). One or more males swim upstream in order to fertilize the eggs she lays. Eventually both parents will die, completing the life cycle that began in this very stream. Salmon are able to find their way back to the stream where they were born after spending the bulk of their life in the ocean, which is where they feed and mature. The whole life cycle usually takes five to six years. 2022 was the first year the Spruce City Hatchery began releasing salmon fry in the stream (from eggs collected in 2021), so it won’t be until 2026 or 2027 that we may see larger returns. Despite this, there is plenty to see near the viewing platforms at both trail areas this year.
George Hicks Park
A very accessible and short trail, George Hicks Park trail weaves its way through a marsh adjacent to the salmon viewing area on Swift Creek. If you want to get off the highway and experience nature, this is easily accessible to stretch your legs. View tadpoles, dragonflies, muskrats, frogs, and an assortment of marsh creatures. Right next to this trail is the salmon spawning viewing area at Swift Creek. View Chinook salmon during the last leg of their spawning journey from mid-August to mid-September.
Distance (return): 0.4 km
Approx. time: 30 mins return (loop back along the road or in-and-back)
Elevation gain: 30 m
Trailhead coordinates: Plug these into a GPS or Google Maps search bar
52.833585°, -119.281875°
Rearguard Falls
This is a wonderful short hike to Rearguard Falls which is the uppermost part of the salmon run along the Fraser River. Stand on the boardwalk right above the falls and watch salmon leap into the churning water as they struggle to reach their spawning territory in late August. You get a very close vantage right above the left side of the falls. Be warned the slope down from the parking lot is quite steep at first.
Distance (return): 0.4 km
Approx. time: 30 mins return
Elevation gain: 30 m
Trailhead coordinates: Plug these into a GPS or Google Maps search bar
52.975191°, -119.363978°
