July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. James, Wildlife Tours
Looking for a great Salmon viewing opportunity? Last year I found a beautiful place that had TONS of Salmon just outside of Fort St James.
Tsilcoh Falls is a short distance north of Fort St James. Drive through town and travel on the Germansen Landing Rd for 10-15km (passed the turnoff for Murray Ridge ski hill), then turn left onto the Pinchi Forest Service Rd. After about 5km, you'll see the sign marking Tsilcoh Falls on your left side. There's a nice big parking lot with pit toilets and a picnic area, and it's just a short walk down a trail to a great rocky viewpoint (careful, the rocks were a little slippery).
From this viewpoint, I got to see Salmon jumping up the small falls. You always hear how tough and treacherous the Salmon's spawning journey is, but this really put it into perspective for me - those fish really have to work to get up those falls! I visited the falls in the middle of August, but of course the best Salmon-viewing dates always fluctuate a little.
I definitely recommend visiting Tsilcoh Falls during this year's Salmon run to see these awesome fish in action!