French Falls is located in the Nahmint Valley just southwest of Port Alberni, Vancouver Island. The watershed is full of waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, and some impressive mountain peaks, Nahmint Mountain has many waterfalls cascading down from aloft and the jewel of them is French Falls.
The watershed drains into Alberni Inlet along the Nahmint River, which winds its way through some impressive rapids and waterfalls to Nahmint Bay on the inlet. The river once had some huge salmon returns of chinook, pink, and chum, but there are very few chinook or pink returns now. There are still some big runs of chum though.
There is a beautiful rec site on Nahmint Lake that is situated in a large old-growth rainforest of giant hemlock, fir, and spruce trees. The mountain views are just incredible and the falls and rapids in the river as it runs through the canyons on its way to Nahmint Bay are beautiful. The most impressive of these falls has to be French Falls up on Nahmint Mountain. You will be amazed at their beauty.
To reach the Nahmint Valley and the Nahmint Lake rec site. Head towards Tofino until you see McCoy lake road, it is just past Somas River Bridge, turn left here to go to the Stirling arm main, turn right and follow till you reach the Nahmint main, turn left, and you will shortly come to the rec site on the lake. There is lots of wildlife and birds here so don’t forget your camera.