You can reach the Lower Shooting Star Falls on a very short 200-meter trail. How many of you have stopped at the Nanoose Rest Area without realizing that just past the last picnic table up on the hill is the start of this wonderful little trail that will take you to a pretty cool falls?
There are such wonderful displays of plants along this path to the falls, and there is an abundance of stinging nettle here. Don’t touch, they can give you quite the irritation, but they are so good to eat. At certain times of the year, you can see a myriad of mushrooms here as well.
Without fail, we always see deer in this forest. Plus, there is always the chance to see a bear here; springtime is best for this, as they love the fresh grass and plants. In the spring, the whole area is full of wildflowers. This is an alder grove for the most part, but as you reach the falls, it quickly turns into a forest of evergreens. There are some big trees in this forest.
This is the lower falls; there are upper falls as well. I enjoy both these falls and the trails that join them, its a wonderfall forest filled with birds, animals and wildflowers. The best time to see these falls is during the rainy season when the falls are running full. Be carefull around the upper falls trail as it can be slippery. There are little gems like this all over Vancouver Island. I have been chasing waterfalls for many years, and yet there are still so many I have yet to find.