Scenic Views · British Columbia
Helmcken Falls
Canada's fourth-highest waterfall, a 141 m drop on the Murtle River in Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC, seen from a platform a two-minute walk from parking. Open year-round.
What visitors say
Helmcken Falls plunges about 141 metres off a volcanic lip into a deep canyon on the Murtle River, and it's the reason many people drive up the Clearwater Valley Road into Wells Gray Provincial Park. Reviewers nearly all rate it among the best waterfalls they've seen, with a thundering sound and mist that reaches the viewpoint.
Getting there is easy. The parking lot is large, has room for RVs and campers, and sits a couple of minutes from a recently expanded viewing platform. There are toilets, benches and open space for a picnic, plus information plaques. From Clearwater it's about a 45-minute drive.
If you have time, BC Parks describes a rim trail to the south side of the falls, about 8 km return, with a very different view over the canyon edge; it's unfenced and not for anyone nervous of heights. The park has several other waterfalls along the corridor, and campgrounds at Falls Creek and Clearwater Lake. Winter visitors describe a huge ice cone at the base.
The only real caution is the terrain: stay behind barriers near the canyon. Summer afternoons are busier, and one visitor who arrived around 6 am had the platform to themselves. Watch for bears along the road.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 916 Google reviews. Conditions and rules change — check current park, access and fishing regulations before you go.