Chasing Waterfalls at Wells Gray Provincial Park

If you’re looking to get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to chasing waterfalls, Wells Gray Provincial Park is the place to go. Located in east-central British Columbia, the park is the fourth largest in the province and home to 41 named waterfalls.  

Open year round, we visited the park over the course of one very full day in early October and found it an ideal time to visit. We made it there just before the first snowfall and while it was chilly, we avoided the crowds and the bugs that converge during the warmer months. 

We drove up from Kamloops, which is about an hour and twenty minutes away by car, and spent a couple of nights in an Airbnb in the town of Clearwater to make the most of our day in the park. 

After a brief stop at the Park Information Centre to pick up a map, we made our way into the park. Since we have a small car, we kept mainly to the paved road. Most of the sites we saw were only a short walk or hike from the parking areas so we managed to squeeze in quite a few. We will definitely be back one day to explore more. But for now here are our top Wells Gray sites to add to your itinerary. 

Spahats Creek Falls

Spahats is the First Nations term signifying bear. This waterfall is nearest to the park’s entrance, making it one of the busier stops on our itinerary. An easy five minute walk will take you to a viewing platform where you can feast your eyes on the 75 metre high falls. 

Moul Falls

Moul Falls is the perfect spot for a wedding proposal. This was Gunther’s original plan before the guy ahead of us on the trail stole the show by popping the question to his girlfriend once we reached the waterfall. The hike to get to the falls is a 5.5 kilometre round trip and takes roughly an hour. The third highest waterfall in the park, you’re going to want to make sure you plan for time to take lots of photos. Height of the waterfall aside, another impressive feature is how close you can get to it. With careful footing, you can climb up behind it.

Dawson Falls

A short 10-minute walk from a parking area will take you to the Dawson Falls viewpoint. In contrast to the other plunging waterfalls in the park, this horseshoe-shaped waterfall is impressive in its own right as it thunders over the rocks. 

Mushbowl

The Mushbowl is located just downstream of Dawson Falls and can be viewed just beyond a one-lane wooden bridge spanning the Murtle River. Here the river splits in two around a large rock formation creating an intense flow of water. 

Helmcken Falls

If you’ve ever seen a photo taken in Wells Gray Park, it’s likely of Helmcken Falls. The park owes its very existence to the waterfall and the desire to protect it. The Murtle River plunges down a dramatic 141 metre drop into a rock punchbowl, making it the fourth highest waterfall in Canada. There are a number of trails that lead to different viewpoints, with the shortest being an easy one kilometre out and back path from the parking lot. 

Green Mountain Viewing Tower

While not a waterfall, this site is definitely worth a visit just to see first-hand the vastness of the park area. The tower sits atop Green Mountain and is only accessible via a steep four kilometre gravel road, which was a bit of a challenge with our small Volkswagen Rabbit. A wooden viewing tower takes you above the treeline and offers 360º views of untouched wilderness.

For park information and maps, visit BC Parks or Tourism Wells Gray. 

Have you visited Wells Gray Provincial Park? Where is your favourite waterfall located?

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