Waterfalls in Canada

It is impossible to describe the raw beauty of Niagara Falls. Even photos cannot completely convey the power and beauty of nature at its most majestic. Standing on the banks of the Niagara River, deafened by the thunder of falling waters, it is easy to feel insignificant and humbled. Even the thousands of tourists lining the wall separating the broad walkway from the falls cannot diminish the feeling of absolute awe. Niagara Falls consist of three waterfalls between Canada and the United States: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls, with Goat and Luna islands separating them. The falls, located on the majestic Niagara River as it spills Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, have the highest rate of flow of any world waterfall: six million cubic feet of water spills over the edge every minute. The falls were formed after the glaciers of the last ice age receded and the water from the Great Lakes cut through the Niagara Escarpment on the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Niagara Falls is one of the most popular tourist destinations in North America, and it has developed its own industry, dominating the region.

The fourth tallest waterfall in Canada, Helmcken Falls in British Columbia is easy to access from the main park road, which means you will have to share it with busloads of tourists. But, it is worth it. The fall drops 141 meters down in two tiers, and you have a spectacular vantage point from the viewing platform on its rim. Helmcken is part of the Wells Gray Provincial Park, which was created in 1939 to protect the falls. Murtle River tumbles down six more falls through a narrow canyon before reaching Helmcken. You can approach the falls following the four-kilometer Brink Trail along the Murtle River south bank that begins close to Dawson Falls. Visiting the falls in winter is a mesmerizing experience, as the water creates a 50-meter ice cone at the bottom of the canyon. The cone starts to slowly dissipate in March.

Romantic Waterfalls

Gently dropping 400 feet over a wide, rounded rock face, Fraser River creates a magnificent fall that looks like a lacy, romantic veil. It is located at the south end of the Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park. The fall is located 16 km east of Chilliwack, near Rosedale, British Columbia in Canada. The source of the fall is water tumbling down from Mount Archibald, flowing into Bridal Creek on its way through Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park, ending finally at the Fraser River. The falls are easily accessible from Highway 1, requiring an easy 10-minute walk on a wide, softly graded path. The park near the falls is very popular place for a picnic, and there are several tables and benches. The falls freeze in the winter, creating a fragile wall of ice that can crash down at any time, making the area near the base dangerous.

The water that flows down Panther Falls originates from Nigel Pass in the Parker Ridge of the Canadian Rockies. The series of waterfalls is located in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The park is Canada’s first national park and premier sightseeing destination worldwide, spanning 2,564 square miles and filled with mountains, valleys, forests, glaciers, rivers, and meadows.

Panther Falls is a class 3 waterfall that is over 25 feet wide and has a drop of over 200 feet. Visitors can go on a short hike to get up close and personal with the falls; it is also a great opportunity to appreciate the lush flora that surrounds the area.

Waterfalls for Families

You do not have to walk far to see Shannon Falls – it is tumbling down about 1000 feet over a series of steep cliffs just above Sea to Sky Highway, about half an hour from the Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal. The fall is part of the Shannon Falls Provincial Park 36 miles from Vancouver, and its waters tumble down from Mount Sky Pilot and Mount Habrich. This impressive waterfall, third in height in British Columbia, comes down the mountain through Shannon Creek until it reaches granite walls of Howe Sound, which was carved by glaciers ten thousand years ago, and falls towards the Pacific. As they are so close to Howe Sound, the falls seldom freeze and have consistent amounts of water year round. Nevertheless, seeing the raw power of nature in spring when Shannon Creek swells with spring rains and thunders down 1000 feet is a quite sight to behold.

Yoho National Park is an awe-inspiring British Columbia park full of snow-capped mountain peaks, shear rock walls, ancient forests, and roaring rivers, but nothing captures its majesty more than Takakkaw Falls. The Cree aptly named it, since Takakkaw means “magnificent” in Cree. The falls are fed by the melting Daly Glacier, a part of the Waputik Icefield. Takakkaw is 991 feet high with a free fall of 850 feet, making it the third highest in Canada. The fall is reached by following the Yoho Valley Road to its end, about 13 kilometers from the Trans-Canada Highway. There is a campground where the Yoho Valley Road ends, offering spectacular vistas of the fall. The campground is the trailhead for the trails leading to the Yoho Valley and Laughing Falls, Iceline, Twin Falls, and Whaleback trails. It offers a unique wilderness experience, and the area is fairly accessible.

Falls For Photographers

One thing is certain: you will not find many tourists around Virginia Falls. Located in the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories, the only way to visit the falls is by renting a float plane from Fort Liard of Fort Simpson. The plane can land above the falls, and you have to hike from there. The main feature of this spectacular park is the powerful whitewater Naha Dehé (South Nahanni River), which is lined with four canyons until it splits into two segments around Mason’s Rock, a 400-foot tall limestone spire. One segment falls 294 feet directly to the river below, and another slides along the rocks before falling 170 feet. Nailicho (Virginia Falls) are massive, 800 feet wide and spanning four acres in surface. Only the remote location prevents this grandiose fall from becoming one of the fabled Canadian falls like Niagara.

As the upper Athabasca River flows from the Columbia Icefield through the Jasper National Park in Alberta, it chips away at the rock, forming a canyon until it drops 80 feet over a thin layer of hard quartzite through soft limestone, carving first the short gorge and many potholes as well. What makes Athabasca Falls so picturesque is not the height but the force the huge volume of water creates as it drops into the gorge. The water formed many natural viewing platforms and trails that are still being chipped away, one millimeter every year. There are stairs that lead to the base of the falls that will allow you to closely view small plants, mosses, and lichens that managed to cling to the rock. You can cross the concrete bridge to the other side of the gorge. The falls are popular among white-water rafters, who start at the falls’ base and head all the way to Jasper.

Waterfalls for Hikers

Parc de la Chute-Montmorency is an impressive waterfall on the Montmorency River in Quebec, Canada, about 12 km from Quebec City. Montmorency Falls are part of the scenic, popular Montmorency Falls Park, where the Montmorency River drops 83 meters over the cliff into the Saint Lawrence River across from Île d'Orleans. The falls are very popular among tourists, who can see the falls from the staircase cut into the cliff from a suspension bridge that crosses the river or from the spectacular 300-meter double zipline that offers views you will not easily forget. There is also an aerial tram that travels between the top and the base of the falls. The best time to visit the falls is in the summer during the fireworks competition.

Also must-see are Brandywine Falls in Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, Sea to Sky Waterfalls and the waterfall at Bow Lake.

Located in a village called Kakabeka Falls, the Kakabeka Falls is the second highest waterfall in Ontario. The waterfall has a drop of over 130 feet and flows from the Kaministiquia River. The boardwalk that wraps around the top of the falls is accessible all year long, and visitors get a stunning view of the water cascading into the gorge below whether they visit in winter, summer, spring, or fall.

The eroding shales that surround the waterfall host a number of flora and fauna, and they also contain fossils that are over 1.6 billion years old. There are a number of walking and nature trails for visitors to enjoy nearby, and during the winter there are groomed cross-country ski trails as well.