The first and only time I have hiked to Kennedy Falls was in the summer of 2016, nine years ago…read more I've been wanting to go again, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity until yesterday (June 14, 2025).
As nearly a decade has gone by, I didn't remember much about the hike except that it was fairly challenging because the terrain was quite rugged and technical with rocks and roots, there were logs to climb over, and I had to scramble up some short, but steep inclines. None of that has changed, but now along a short section of the trail (probably the part that I had to scramble up nine years ago), there is a chain to assist with climbing up and down. I had quite a bit of difficulty descending this portion of the trail (it was quite scary!), but it was fairly easy hiking back up.
Until quite recently, I had no idea that Kennedy Falls was accessible by transit, and I organized a hike yesterday with my transit accessible hiking group. The #210 bus stops at Mountain Highway and Coleman Street, only about a ten minute walk from the entrance to the trails on Mount Fromme, although the walk up from the bus stop is quite steep, and I was huffing and puffing. (The walk from the bus stop was actually the steepest incline encountered on our entire hike. The hike, while difficult due to terrain, had minimal elevation.)
The hike to Kennedy Falls, round trip, is 10km and about five hours. Hiking at a slow, relaxed pace, taking breaks (including 20 minutes at the falls and 10 minutes at the big Cedar tree, as well as other shorter breaks), the hike took six hours.
To get to Kennedy Falls, you first hike along the Cedar Tree Trail. The first portion is quite easy and flat, then you eventually encounter logs, rocks, and the chain. After about 1.5 hours, you come to the big Cedar -- a HUGE tree that is estimated to be about 600 years old. Once leaving the Cedar, it takes about an hour to get to the falls, so a total of 2.5 hours from the beginning to the falls, one way. (The timing was also the same on the way back.)
It was a great hike, and now that I know that it is transit accessible, I will be sure to go more often. As it can be quite wet and muddy, with numerous streams to cross, it is best to go during the summer when it's dry, so I likely won't be going in the spring, only summer and early fall. (Also due to the length of the hike, I prefer to go when the sun sets later.)
Other things to note: the outhouses located at the start of the trail are still gendered (which makes no sense!), and the sign telling you not to throw pianos and other objects into the toilet is still there. There is also a water refill station at the entrance.
Not that it matters to me, as I take transit, but parking there is difficult. A few of our group members drove, and they had trouble finding parking. Parking is free, but the parking lot is quite small, and Mount Fromme is very popular with mountain bikers (there are numerous mountain biking trails), so the parking lot was full at 10am. They were able to find parking on nearby side streets, but then had to walk 20 minutes up the steep hill (the bus stop was closer than where they parked). One person did manage to get a parking spot in the parking lot (after waiting 30 minutes), but it was only after we completed our hike that we noticed there was a three hour limit (thankfully he did not get a ticket). While transit is a pain in the ass (our bus was over ten minutes late!), it has its advantages.
[Yelp collections: Hiking]
