6 Most Beautiful Wells Gray Provincial Park Waterfalls, Canada

Wells Gray Provincial Park is Canada’s waterfall park with over 41 named waterfalls. If you love waterfalls and a serene environment with fewer tourists, then Wells Gray Park can give you beautiful scenery without the crowds. We have spent a few days exploring and camping in Wells Gray Provincial Park during our Canadian Rockies RV road trip, and can highly recommend you to add Wells Gray to your itinerary. Get ready to explore the spectacular waterfalls in Wells Gray Provincial Park!

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About Wells Gray Provincial Park

Wells Gray Provincial Park, situated in British Columbia, Canada, is a vast wilderness area renowned for its stunning natural beauty and diverse ecosystems. Covering over 5,250 square kilometres, the entire park offers an abundance of outdoor activities and attractions for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike.

One of the park’s highlights is its impressive waterfalls, with Helmcken Falls being the most famous. Plummeting over 140 meters, Helmcken Falls is one of Canada’s highest waterfalls and a must-see attraction within the park. Other notable waterfalls include Dawson Falls and Spahats Falls, each offering its own unique spectacle.

Beyond waterfalls, Wells Gray is home to pristine lakes, rugged mountains, lush forests, and meandering rivers, providing ample opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, and wildlife viewing. The park boasts an abundance of wildlife, including bears, moose, deer, wolves, and numerous bird species, making it a paradise for nature lovers and photographers.

BEST WELLS GRAY PROVINCIAL PARK WATERFALLS

Helmcken Falls

Helmcken Falls is without a doubt the most spectacular waterfall in Wells Gray Provincial Park. With its dramatic and straight drop of 141 meters (463 ft), it is the fourth-highest waterfall in Canada and a very spectacular and powerful sight.

The shape of the canyon reminds us of a horseshoe and is the result of geological formation carved out by the erosive force of water over millennia.

Helmcken Falls is very easy to visit after a short walk from the parking lot. You can either take in the stunning views from the viewing platform or go on a leisurely stroll along the Helmcken Falls Rim trail. This 8km return hike takes you along several other viewpoints and gives an even better view of the rugged canyon. However, if you are short on time, a visit to the main viewpoint gives you a great perspective of how tall and beautiful the waterfall is.

Moul Falls

Moul Falls is another stunning waterfall in Wells Gray Provincial Park and is a must-visit. The 5.5 km out-and-back trail through the forest leads to the base of the falls and offers a stunning view. The single-drop waterfall of approximately 35 meters (115 feet) has a very cool feature because you can walk behind the curtain of water. This unique experience also provides a different angle for photography and is a must-do!

Early morning light will pierce through the pine trees, creating a magical atmosphere at Moul Falls when the golden light hits the water particles. Definitely worth it to walk behind the waterfall to get a different perspective.

Spahats Falls

Another Wells Gray waterfall to visit is Spahats Creek Falls. With a drop of 75 meters (246 feet), Spahats Creek Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in the park. When we visited in autumn, the power of the waterfall wasn’t at its strongest. But I’m sure that in late spring Spahats Creek Falls must be at its peak flow due to the melting snow.

Spahats-Creek-Falls-wells-gray-waterfall

Dawson Falls

Although Dawson Falls isn’t the tallest waterfall in Wells Gray Provincial Park with 20 meters (66ft) height, the impressive width of 90 meters (295 feet) allows a large volume of water to flow over the lava ledge. This results in an impressive sight while the water descends over the cliff and roars further along the Murtle River. The easy walk from the parking to the viewpoint of Dawson Falls takes you along the river and through the forest until you get to the viewpoint.

Silvertip Falls

Silvertip Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Wells Gray Park at 168 meters height. The 2.1 km muddy trail over tree roots, rocks and streams brings you to the base of the waterfall. To get to the trailhead you need to follow an active logging road. Although it’s not a super steep road, I wouldn’t recommend it with an RV. We had a 4×4 Ford Duty truck camper and could easily make it along the road. But in case you have an RV, you’re mostly not insured driving a logging road, so keep this in mind.

The Mushbowl

The Mushbowl is a small cascade along the Murtle River that can be easily spotted from the one-lane bridge that crosses the river. This frothy waterfall isn’t the most spectacular of all Wells Gray Falls, but definitely worth a stop when exploring the park.

What is the best time to visit the Wells Gray Provincial Park waterfalls?

The best time to visit the waterfalls in Wells Gray Provincial Park is from late spring until late summer. This is the time that the waterfalls are at their strongest because of melting snow. The summer months are also a great time for hiking, camping, and outdoor activities in general.

Late August and the autumn months of September and October are a great time to visit the park as well. However, you can expect the waterfalls to be reduced in flow compared to spring, but the fall foliage definitely makes up for that!

The winter months aren’t the best time to visit the Wells Gray Provincial Park waterfalls. Most of the waterfalls will have little water flow, and Helmcken Falls will even most likely be frozen! This does creates a unique ice cone because the cold temperatures gradually build up layers of ice around the base of the waterfall.

How many waterfalls are in Wells Gray Provincial Park?

An impressive total of 41 named waterfalls can be found within Wells Gray Provincial Park. Therefore Wells Gray is also known as ‘Canada’s Waterfall Park’. Ancient volcanoes and slow-moving glaciers carved the rivers and lakes that nowadays fuel the park’s waterfalls. The Clearwater River, along with the Murtle River, contributes to the overall hydrological system of this region and influences the formation of Wells Gray waterfalls.

How to get to Wells Gray Provincial Park

The town of Clearwater is the gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park. Once you turn onto the Clearwater Valley Road you will drive deeper into the park along all the different waterfall trails. The road stretches for 68 km until the Clearwater Lake Boat launch which is the end of the road. This drive is also called the Wells Gray Corridor and is the scenic route through the heart of the park.

Worth noting is that the main road is paved until Helmcken Falls. After that, it becomes a gravel road. There are a few smaller side roads in the park leading to waterfalls, picnic areas, and other points of interest. These roads are usually old logging roads and are only recommended to drive with a 4×4 vehicle.

Camping in Wells Gray Provincial Park

Camping is the only way to stay overnight in Wells Gray Provincial Park, and luckily there are plenty of camping areas to choose from. You can either choose to stay at a campground in Clearwater town, which has some facilities around such as a small supermarket and restaurants. Or camp somewhere deeper in the park at the Helmcken Falls Lodge and RV Park or Wells Gray Golf & RV Resort. Both are stunning campgrounds with electricity, breathtaking views, and you can even do the laundry at the golf course RV Resort.

We stayed at Helmcken Falls Lodge and RV Park and had a fantastic stay. It was so close to all the points of interest we wanted to visit!

wells-gray-camping-truck-camper — ***Helmcken Falls Lodge and RV Park, our camp spot and view***

Further along the road is Clearwater Lake Campground and Falls Creek Campground which are located along the southern end of Clearwater Lake. Those are great options if you want to venture deeper into the park.

More Canada travel inspiration

I hope you enjoyed this complete guide about the best Wells Gray Provincial Park waterfalls. For more travel inspiration about Alberta and British Columbia, visit our other Canada travel guides. See below our Canada guides per National Park to prepare for your trip.

Read here our incredibly extensive guide about RVing in Canada

6 Most Beautiful Wells Gray Provincial Park Waterfalls, Canada

About Wells Gray Provincial Park