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Waterfalls

Canada

British Columbia

Area A (Wells Gray Country)

Helmcken Falls

Discover

Places to see

Waterfalls

Canada

British Columbia

Area A (Wells Gray Country)

Helmcken Falls

Recommended by 27 hikers out of 28

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Wells Gray Provincial Park

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Location: Area A (Wells Gray Country), British Columbia, Canada

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Best Hikes to Helmcken Falls

5.0

(4)

hikers

1. Helmcken Falls – Helmcken Falls loop from Lac La Hache

11.6km

03:08

160m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

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Hubert Trapp

February 14, 2025

“Helmcken Falls is the centerpiece to Wells Gray Provincial Park, one of the most powerful waterfalls on earth and one of BC’s prime tourist draws. The Murtle River, which is just a few kilometers upstream, drops over 300 foot (91 m) wide Dawson Falls, narrows to about 75 feet (23 m) wide and surges over the lip of Helmcken Canyon, hurtling 462 feet (141 m) into one of the largest river-sculpted amphitheaters in North America. The bowl behind the falls recedes over 150 feet (46 m) into the cliff and stretches over 500 feet (152 m) wide. Just downstream lies a 50 foot (15 m) lower tier which isn’t usually counted in the total height of the falls but legitimately boosts this to a 500 foot (152 m) tall waterfall. Pictures really do not do this waterfall justice, as there is no way to convey the true power and volume of water spilling off the cliff.”

(Visit June 3, 2018)

worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Helmcken-Falls-2303

Karsten S.

August 9, 2019

Helmcken Falls is a waterfall on the Murtle River in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Just before the river joins the Clearwater River, it falls 141 m from the Murtle Plateau. This makes this waterfall in southeastern British Columbia the fourth highest in Canada.

Sediments of igneous rock once formed the Murtle Plateau layer by layer. It was flooded in the last ice age, and this is how the rugged walls on the banks of the Murtle River were formed.

The protection of the waterfall was one of the main reasons for the creation of the partly forested nature park inhabited by bears. Another reason for the establishment of the park, i.e. against the settlement, is the volcanic activity in this extensive, approximately 5000 square kilometers large wilderness in the middle of the Wells-Gray-Clearwater volcanic field.

The waterfall was named after the German-born doctor John Sebastian Helmcken, who worked on behalf of the Hudson’s Bay Company in British Columbia and helped to incorporate the country into the Canadian Confederation. Helmcken himself never saw the waterfall.

Translated by Google •

Wanderpärchen

May 30, 2020

Our first contact with a dirt road when we drove to the Helmchen Falls. Frankly, it's just a little bit of fun, but it's worth the walk there. For us there was the first impression that the vastness of Canada means.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 740 m

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Tuesday 23 September

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Location: Area A (Wells Gray Country), British Columbia, Canada

Helmcken Falls

1. Helmcken Falls – Helmcken Falls loop from Lac La Hache

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