Brandywine Falls Provincial Park
Encyclopedia
Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park
in British Columbia
, Canada
, located adjacent to BC Highway 99
between Garibaldi
and Whistler, British Columbia
.
The falls are located on Brandywine Creek
, which has its origin in the Powder Mountain Icefield
to the west, and are formed by the lip of a lava flow flanking the west bank of the Cheakamus River
. Just downstream of the falls is Daisy Lake. A trail network connecting Whistler to Squamish traverses the upper lip of the creek, as does the former BC Rail line (now CNR
). Platforms have been built for viewing on the north (right) side of the falls. A pay parking lot ($1 for 1 hour, $2 for 2 hours, $3 for the day) with picnic grounds is a short distance from the falls (approximately a 15 minute walk) and immediately adjacent to the highway.
At least four basalt
ic lava flows, ranging in age from nearly 34,000 years old to synglacial, comprise the vertical walls surrounding Brandywine Falls. These are part of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt
, a northwest-southeast chain of volcanoes and related lavas that form the northern end of the Cascade Volcanic Arc
.
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located adjacent to BC Highway 99
British Columbia provincial highway 99
Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Squamish Highway, Route 99, or Whistler Highway, is the major north-south artery running through the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia from the U.S. border, up Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky Country to Lillooet, and connecting to...
between Garibaldi
Garibaldi, British Columbia
Garibaldi, originally named Daisy Lake and also known as Garibaldi Lodge and Garibaldi Townsite, is an abandoned locality in British Columbia, Canada, on the Cheakamus River around its confluence with Rubble Creek and just south of Daisy Lake....
and Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
.
The falls are located on Brandywine Creek
Brandywine Creek (British Columbia)
Brandywine Creek, also formerly known as the Long John River after a local prospector and trapper, is a tributary of the Cheakamus River in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, entering that stream via Daisy Lake, just below Brandywine Falls...
, which has its origin in the Powder Mountain Icefield
Powder Mountain Icefield
The Powder Mountain Icefield, also called the Powder Mountain Icecap and the Cayley Icefield, is a glacial field in the Pacific Ranges of southwestern British Columbia, Canada, about west of Whistler and about north of Vancouver...
to the west, and are formed by the lip of a lava flow flanking the west bank of the Cheakamus River
Cheakamus River
The Cheakamus River is a tributary of the Squamish River, beginning on the west slopes of Outlier Peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park upstream from Cheakamus Lake on the southeastern outskirts of the resort area of Whistler. The river flows into Cheakamus Lake before exiting it and flowing...
. Just downstream of the falls is Daisy Lake. A trail network connecting Whistler to Squamish traverses the upper lip of the creek, as does the former BC Rail line (now CNR
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
). Platforms have been built for viewing on the north (right) side of the falls. A pay parking lot ($1 for 1 hour, $2 for 2 hours, $3 for the day) with picnic grounds is a short distance from the falls (approximately a 15 minute walk) and immediately adjacent to the highway.
At least four basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava flows, ranging in age from nearly 34,000 years old to synglacial, comprise the vertical walls surrounding Brandywine Falls. These are part of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt
Garibaldi Volcanic Belt
The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, also called the Canadian Cascade Arc, is a northwest-southeast trending volcanic chain in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains that extends from Watts Point in the south to the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield in the north. This chain of volcanoes is located in southwestern...
, a northwest-southeast chain of volcanoes and related lavas that form the northern end of the Cascade Volcanic Arc
Cascade Volcanoes
The Cascade Volcanoes are a number of volcanoes in a volcanic arc in western North America, extending from southwestern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California, a distance of well over 700 mi ...
.