Another hike in Ranata, accessed by crossing Lower Arrow Lake, this is a lovely waterfall. It falls 15m (50’) into a deep pool sending up a fine mist that fills the mossy grotto. A cave at the base of the falls has been worn into the cliff. In the heat of the summer, swim into the cave.
Difficulty: Easy A1
Elevation gained: 250m (820’)
Key Elevations:
Distance: 3.7km
Time: 1-1½ hours one way
Season: year around
Map: 82F/5 Castlegar
Drive:
From Nelson. Drive Hwy 3A west to Castlegar and just before the bridge across the Kootenay River, take the exit right towards Robson and Syringa Creek Provincial Park. After 3.3km, turn right onto Broadwater Rd and proceed toward Robson. Left goes to the major bridge across the Columbia. Zero odometer.
From Castlegar. Go through downtown Castlegar, cross the Columbia River and turn left onto Broadwater Road in Robson. Zero odometer.
0.0 km Broadwater Road, Robson
11.8 km. Pass Hugh Keenleyside Dam (completed 1968)
20.3 km. Just before the yellow gates of Syringa Creek Provincial Park, turn right onto the gravel Deer Park Forest Service Road. Follow this narrow, good 2-wheel drive gravel road for approximately 15 km to the community of Deer Park. There are one-lane-only sections with traffic possibly coming the other way. Logging trucks also use the road and must be given lots of room and the right-of-way.
35 km. Deer Park. Turn right to drive through the tiny community. There is a small “Renata” Sign pointing the way. Within half a kilometre, the road forks. Take the upper fork to the right. Drive 18.7 km to a fork.
51.7 km. The road forks again. Left goes to the lakeshore, the best launch to Renata. Park your vehicle and unload your boat.
Route/Trail: Depending on water levels, it is about 1.5 kilometres across the lake to Renata. Pull your boat up on the northwest shore at the creek mouth.
0.0 Walk up the road that runs along the northwest side of the creek.
1.2 km. Cross Dog Creek on a bridge. Continue straight ahead following the road as it gains elevation.
2 km. The first switchback from the lakeshore. At this switchback, continue straight ahead on an old dirt road and pass the Faith Creek Falls trail at 500 metres past the switchback.
3.5 km. As the trail peters out, you will begin to hear the roar of the falls. Keep your eyes open for flagging tape in the trees on the right-hand side of the trail. This descends steeply, almost precipitously to the foot of the falls on a slippery trail. This trail is not suitable for young children or when wet.
RENATA
Renata was a small town on a stump peninsula on the Arrow Lakes, about 20 miles (35 km) northwest of Castlegar. The town was established in the 1880s as an ideal location for fruit growing, and it was extraordinary. It was located on a creek delta of rich soil and shielded from cold winds by the surrounding mountains. It was the ideal location for orchards in the region and was known for cherries, apples, pears and peaches. Originally named Dog Creek, the Mennonite settlers living there wanted a new moniker that would capture the spirit of their little farming community. Once they agreed on Renata, the first baby born shared that name.
Without electricity, it was connected to the rest of civilization by a three-car ferry and a nearly impassable dirt road that climbed up Dog Creek to the Kettle Valley Railway.
The Mennonite settlement in Renata began in 1907, when Frank F. Siemens from Altona, Manitoba, representing the Western Land Company, attracted 20 families from Herbert and Rosthern, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba to take up land in the area. Several families were from near Rosthern. Climatic and agricultural conditions were favourable and eventually, there were about 50 homes in this settlement. The main occupation of the settlers was fruit farming. Many Mennonites left Renata by the 1950s, leaving only about 10 Mennonite families. The government didn’t want to provide services such as electricity, and it was getting to the point where they would have to do that if anyone stayed, so they really wanted everybody out. There were mixed feelings within the population, but there was one common denominator: grief. Some people said, ‘You know, there has to be progress.’ For a lot of people, their bone to pick was more about how it was done than the fact that it was done.” It is impossible to say whether the people were ever truly compensated.
In the mid-1960s the community was relocated when the Hugh Keenleyside Dam flooded the valley and completely submerged the village. Renata was one of many communities that disappeared following the Columbia River Treaty.
Depending on the water level, you will find it either completely underwater or completely razed with the occasional house foundation and the remains of the orchard, almost as if it was never there at all.
The graveyard was covered with a slab of concrete and unmarked. Residents have since returned to place a plaque there to keep their memories alive, but it too is underwater most of the year.