Time to step back and talk some more about the waterfalls in California.  Today we’ll be addressing the most interesting and unique falls in the golden state.  If you’re following this series, you may notice that none of these waterfalls feature a natural bridge, unlike pretty much all the other regions we’ve done these articles for.  It seems the bedrock in California just isn’t conducive to that type of formation, at least at this point in time.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t some damn cool waterfalls there though, so without further ado, here we go:

Le Conte Falls (dkend@pacbell.net, Flickr)

Le Conte Falls

It could legitimately be said that practically any of the waterfalls along the Tuolumne River as it descends the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne could be considered among California’s most interesting and unique waterfalls.  But Le Conte Falls stands out because of one unmistakable characteristic – it’s multiple, massive waterwheels which are formed as the river strikes numerous depressions in the bedrock and jets as much as 30 feet (or more) into the air.  These waterwheels were so eye-catching to early explorers that this waterfall was originally titled Waterwheel Falls, and a mapping error resulted in the title migrating to the next waterfall downstream – which does itself feature a significant waterwheel, but not nearly as prominently.

Burney Falls

Anyone making the argument that Burney Falls is the defacto most unique waterfall in California, we wouldn’t argue with the claim.  Fueled by an extensive aquafir, Burney Creek first and foremost plunges 114 feet over a broad cliff in side-by-side leaps which seem to mirror each other, maintaining an incredibly consistent flow all year long.  But adding to the main stream, the extensive volcanic history of the area has allowed a significant portion of the aquafir to percolate out of the cliff which forms the falls, resulting in a wall of springs gushing out behind the main falls which stretch 250 feet wide!   This specific surface stream / aquafir contrast may be singularly unique in North America, as we cannot conjure another location where such an interaction takes place.

Mossbrae Falls, click to see more

Mossbrae Falls

Like Burney Falls, Mossbrae Falls is the product of the volcanism which dominates much of northern California’s landscape.  In this case, eruptions from satellite vents on Mount Shasta covered a broad area west of the volcano with very porous rock.  Water then percolates into the ground and runs through subterranean channels.  One of the largest group of springs fed by this process is found in the vicinity of the town of Dunsmuir, where spring-fed Mossbrae  Falls bubbles out of the ground and sprays about 50 feet directly into the Sacramento River.  While the volume of the springs does increase during the snow melt season, the falls flow consistently all year thanks to their underground source.  Even at low flow, the falls stretch over 150 feet in width and can achieve a width of nearly 250 feet during the spring.

McWay Falls

There have been discussions about how singularly unique and rare waterfalls which plunge directly into the ocean are, and while this phenomena is not nearly as uncommon an occurrence as some may thing (we’ll be addressing this topic in the future), there are certainly few such waterfalls which are easily seen.  McWay Falls near Big Sur is not only easily accessible, but perhaps the most scenic of any waterfall which drops into the ocean.  Though its stream is relatively small, the falls are striking as it chutes into a narrow free-fall and plunges about 80 feet over a bluff ending directly in the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean (though technically it only drops into the ocean at high tide, the rest of the time the beach intervenes).  As if this weren’t enough, the lagoon which forms the cove at the falls features some of the brightest, bluest ocean water which can be seen along the California coast.  Photographers have taken note of this and flock to the falls en mass.

Horsetail Falls (Jeffrey Murray, Flickr)

Horsetail Falls

Though it only flow for about two months out of the year, Yosemite’s Horsetail Falls is among the most famous waterfalls on earth.  Why?  Because during a span of about 2-3 weeks in February, the 1,400 foot tall falls are backlit by the setting sun, creating perhaps the most spectacular instance of a “fire-fall” on earth.  The phenomena of a fire-fall isn’t singularly unique to Horsetail Falls, but nowhere else on earth it is nearly as grandiose.  The falls have become so famous among the global community of landscape photographers, thanks to a famous shot by the late Galen Rowell, that every year during February searching for Horsetail Falls on any of the major image hosting website will return a fresh crop of photos of the falls.

Darwin Falls

Waterfalls and deserts are two features which typically do not mix well.  At all.  So finding Darwin Falls tucked back in a canyon right smack in the middle of Death Valley, the hottest and driest location in North America, had to have been a discovery of incomprehensible serendipity.  While the falls are nothing at all to write home about – merely a trickle of water which bubbles out of a spring not too far upstream and drops about 25 feet into a pool, consider that the average temperature in Death Valley from May to October is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (and summer temperatures regularly eclipse 115 degrees).  Also consider that the annual rainfall totals in Death Valley is around 2.3 inches.  For a whole year.  Yet Darwin Falls flows continuously.

Dry Meadow Creek Falls (chowjusky, Flickr)

Dry Meadow Creek Falls

As the Sierra Nevada Mountains are composed almost entirely out of granitic bedrock, the waterfalls found therein tend to feature very sinuous curves and numerous potholes worn into the rock.  This is perhaps most perfectly exemplified in Dry Meadow Creek Falls near the southern terminus of the mountain range.  As the stream flows towards the Kern River Canyon, it twists down a series of cascades which drop about 225 feet in all, but it makes this drop in no less than a dozen distinct leaps.  What makes this so special is the perfect chaining of the pothole pools between each fall.  Each drop has carved a large, deep pool in the bedrock, from which the next fall spills directly out of.  The whole string of falls has become affectionately known as The Seven Teacups to whitewater kayakers who found the waterfalls too good an opportunity to pass up.  The first 7 or 8 drops are all fairly small, no more than 15 feet each, but the final 4-5 tiers are considerably larger, falling up to 50 feet.  Unfortunately the whole waterfall can’t be seen from one spot, but the upper half alone should be worth a visit in its own right.

Tueeulala Falls

Visitors to Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir can witness two of the best waterfalls in California without getting out of their car, at least if you visit at the right time of year.  Wapama Falls can be seen booming down the north wall of Hetch Hetchy valley, exploding onto huge rocks and creating quite a sight all year long.  But if you visit between March and roughly the end of June, Tueeulala Falls can also be seen, plunging a sheer 800 feet in a parallel course to Wapama Falls.  At first glance the falls may not appear special, but the mechanics of how the falls come into existence are quite unique.  Falls Creek, which fuels Wapama Falls, balloons to such immense volume during the melt season that where it runs into a relatively flat area about a quarter mile upstream from Wapama Falls, a substantial portion of the stream escapes its channel and wanders to the edge of the valley in a different course.  This results in two parallel waterfalls, both technically situated along Falls Creek, which are formed by the same precipice but bear distinctly different names.  Making this further interesting, Tueeulala Falls’ lifespan is markedly different than other seasonal waterfalls in Yosemite.  Because the falls only exist when Falls Creek is running high, once the snow melt subsides, the falls can shrink from a booming plunge to just a trickle in a matter of days, as if someone just turned the stream off with a switch.

Staircase Falls, click to see more

Staircase Falls

Though quite easily seen, Staircase Falls is one of the most frequently ignored waterfalls in Yosemite National Park, but this is more due to its very small volume than its stature or character.  Were it left to physical appearance to determine the best waterfalls in Yosemite, Staircase would no doubt be towards the top of the list.  As tiny Gossamer Creek drains from a narrow crevice below Glacier Point, it seems to have skipped out of its natural course to take a caddywompus path to the valley floor by way of a series of diagonally fractured shelves of granite.  Because of how these shelves are sloped, the creek plunges, then effectively slides sideways, then plunges again, and repeats this pattern several times.  The result is the 1,300 foot tall falls actually shift laterally for a greater distance than they fall – that is the top of the falls is almost 1,500 feet west of the bottom of the falls.

Golden Cascade

Golden Cascade is a waterfall of rather small proportion.  It could be considered quaint, even, and it’s not really a location that we would suggest going out of your way to see (though there are two or three other waterfalls in the immediate area).  What makes Golden Cascade stand out is the tiny mineral-rich stream feeding the falls has stained the bedrock so distinctly that the water appears to be sheeting over shiny deposits of gold.  Actually copper would probably be a more apt description, because the color is much more orange than yellow, but either way, it’s saturated to the point where it is far and away the most distinct characteristic of the falls.

Maligne Canyon Falls, click for more

Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon

Found just outside of the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park, Maligne Canyon is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the park.  While there are numerous limestone slot canyons in the Canadian Rockies, Maligne Canyon is special for several reasons, but the most impressive feature is the slow resurgence of the Maligne River.  At the head of the canyon a small mountain stream plunges over several waterfalls – the largest about 75 feet tall.  As the canyon continues downstream, seeps and springs feed more and more water into the canyon and by the time it reaches its mouth 3km from the top, a full size river flows forth.  Where does the water come from?  The full size Maligne River actually sinks into the ground several kilometers upstream and remains so until it intersects the porous rock at the bottom of the canyon, providing an outlet.  Hiking down the trails along the canyon, watching the waterfalls steadily increase in volume over such a short distance is quite intriguing.

Vermilion Falls

Vermilion Falls is the northern most waterfall we currently have inventoried in Alberta and it really isn’t special in the sense that the other waterfalls on this list are, there is just one standout characteristic that makes Vermilion Falls unique: its size.  As the Peace River is one of Canada’s largest, the falls automatically become one of the most globally significant waterfalls based on volume.  But with a crest width of 1.8 kilometers (1.2 miles), the falls are also the widest waterfall in North America – twice the width of Niagara – that we are currently aware of.  However, since the falls are only 15-20 feet tall, Vermilion Falls is hardly the spectacle that Niagara is.

Michele Falls

Just east of Banff National Park and north of the David Thompson Highway is the popular Michele Lakes basin at the head of aptly named Waterfalls Creek.  The lakes are a favorite destination for heli-hiking in that the scenic quality of the Rockies parks remains while the red tape of landing aircraft do not.  As Waterfalls Creek flows out of the lower lake, it surges down a thousand-foot cliff, most of the water disappearing into a sink just after it starts to fall.  Halfway down the cliff, the entire stream bursts forth and veils visibly for the remainder of its descent.  While there are many waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies which feature such karst topography, this may be the tallest waterfall in Alberta (which we know of) which falls out of the side of a cliff in one drop.

North Saskatchewan Falls, click for more

North Saskatchewan Canyon

Similar to the aforementioned Maligne Canyon, the slot canyon along the North Saskatchewan River is carved into limestone, but this one differs from most of the other canyons in Jasper and Banff in that the river has cut such a narrow, twisting slot that the river can only be heard, not seen at the bottom of the gorge.  The canyon is so narrow in places – including at the waterfall at its head – that it is literally possible to jump across the gorge (though we would not recommend this, as falling in would be certain death).  Its possible to peer over the edge of the gorge where the river plunges in only to stare into blackness, with the echoing thunder of the falls swirling in your ear.

Weeping Wall

Weeping Wall is not a significant waterfall in most regards.  It usually flows throughout the summer, but only with noticeable vigor for a few months.  But while it may be minor in almost all characteristics, the simple configuration of the seemingly dozens and dozens of delicate strands of water dripping over the roughly 1,200 foot cliff make this location a popular stop along the Icefields Parkway.  During the winter the falls freeze into one of the most impressive collections of icicles in the Rockies.

Cascade Falls, click for more

Cascade Falls

Those traveling to Banff National Park from the Calgary area will be greeted by the sight of Cascade Falls springing out of the side of Cascade Mountain as they approach the town of Banff.  Fed by melting snow which percolates into crevices all over Cascade Mountain, the falls spring right out of the side of the mountain and skip nearly 1,000 feet down the side of the valley in a narrow ribbon.  During the winter the falls freeze into solid sheets of ice, providing one of the most popular destinations for ice climbing in the Banff area.

Grassi Lakes Falls

The Grassi Lakes are a moderately popular attraction found just outside of Canmore near the southern border of Banff National Park.  The two lakes – both of which are not much more than about 150 feet in diameter – produce a full size stream which calmly meanders from the lower lake and promptly veils over a rather impressive two-stepped waterfall of over 150 feet in height.  The reason the lakes are able to produce such a consistent volume of water is that the nearby Whiteman’s Pond, part of the Canmore Hydroelectric system, leeches water into the ground which then resurges in the Grassi Lakes.

Sideways Falls, click for more

Haig Glacier Falls

Haig Glacier Falls holds the distinction of being both one of the most significant waterfalls in Alberta in terms of height and volume, as well as possessing some of the most unique characteristics of any waterfall in the province.  The Upper Kananaskis River emerges from the Haig Glacier and flows through a barren outwash plain before beginning its descent down a twisted limestone slot.  As the river falls over a thousand feet down the canyon it drops through no less than three natural arches, as well as winding in and out of numerous stretches of slot canyon interspersed along the length of the falls.  Despite its size no trails lead to views of the falls and while the top of the falls is very close to the frequently used Haig Glacier Hut, extensive off-trail travel (in Grizzly Bear country no less) is necessary to actually see the falls.

Sideways Falls

One of the most aptly named waterfalls visible from the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park also does double duty as one of the most unique and most impressive waterfalls in Alberta.  Sideways Falls occurs along an unnamed branch of the North Saskatchewan River near Big Bend, emerging from a slot canyon in a series of sliding cascades which pitch over diagonally stratified bedrock.  Between each sliding “step” the water pools, which makes it appear as if the stream were falling in a stereotypical lightning-bolt shape.  At the bottom of this zigzagging pattern the stream is funneled into a narrow chute, from which it explodes into a powerful spout of water which shoots clear across the face of the canyon.  After all this has taken place, the falls lose much of there character, but still fall for several hundred more feet, dropping a total of 349 feet.

Cameron Falls - justbkos, flickr

Cameron Falls

Waterton Lakes National Park wraps around the southern edge of the Canadian length of the Rocky Mountains and visitors entering the small town of Waterton in the park will inevitably stumble across Cameron Falls.  While Cameron Creek is partially dammed above the falls to provide power to the town, Cameron Falls is a waterfall with a very distinct appearance at any time of the year.  The creek first slides down a long incline formed by diagonally uplifted bedrock.  Where the slide terminates the majority of the creek plunges over a sheer cliff, while a portion of it runs along a chute with the grain of the rock, then when it can’t slide any further plunges in parallel to the main creek.  Both plunges then hit on a second diagonal shelf, which allows part of the water to essentially flow behind one of the plunging parts of the falls.  Pictures do a much better job of explaining what happens, so we’ll just leave it at this is a waterfall you’ll want to see.

Its been a while since we’ve posted anything of substance here, I suppose that adding as much content as we have been will do that.  So we’re gonna try to speed things along again and get back into our Pacific Northwest data set articles.  Time to discuss the most interesting waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest.  Like our introductory post about the Northwest states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, we’re going to go about this one as one group to save some time.  But as we’re dealing with three states, two of which hold perhaps the highest density of waterfalls in the United States, we’re going to expand this list from 10 to 15 entries, so hike up your bootstraps and hold on.

Panther Creek Falls (WA)

Panther Creek Falls

Hidden within a thickly forested ravine in southwestern Washington is Panther Creek Falls, one of the most unique and visually interesting waterfalls in all of the United States.  As Panther Creek drains from the southern half of the Indian Heaven volcanic field, it picks up numerous springs and seeps which burst forth from the extremely porous bedrock.  At a point where the creek encounters a step in the valley, it sluices along a trough then plunges to the floor of the canyon parallel to a gorgeous veiling spring which sends hundreds of braids of water into the canyon parallel to the falls on the main part of the creek.  After these two falls drop together, the collective water then splits into a three-channeled lower fall.  The entire configuration is really quite difficult to explain without a lot of visual aids, so just take our word that you’ll be hard pressed to find a more eclectic waterfall than this.

Curly Creek Falls (WA)

Waterfalls with natural arches in front of them are not a common occurrence, but neither are they terribly rare either.  Without looking through our data extensively, it’s probably safe to estimate that there are at least a hundred waterfalls around the world which feature a natural arch of some sort.  What is significantly less common is a waterfall with two natural arches spanning its face, as is the case with Curly Creek Falls.  While the lower arch is still in the process of being formed, most of the stream’s volume will flow under it outside of the wettest months of the year.  The upper arch spans the falls high and dry (okay not totally dry), providing an interesting window through which visitors can observe the falling water.  If that isn’t enough, taking it one step further a sink was recently observed to swallow part of Curly Creek upstream from the falls, which can result in the falls running dry during very dry summers – so you could almost classify that as a third arch of sorts.

Curly Creek Falls

Hog Canyon Falls (WA)

Eastern Washington’s canyonous geology is very conducive to waterfalls but its arid climate, thanks to the extensive rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, is not.  When there is enough water to form a significant stream the waterfalls involved are usually not terribly unique, but that is not the case at Hog Canyon Falls at the inlet of Hog Lake near Spokane.  While the falls aren’t terribly tall, dropping perhaps 50 feet in all, the 8-tiered stairstep formation is set against a very well formed outcrop of columnar jointing.  At the bottom of the falls is a wide breadth of rocks and boulders which have broke off the adjacent cliffs and piled so deep that the stream appears to suddenly stop at the base of the falls, only to emerge in Hog Lake a few hundred feet downstream.

Cave Falls (WA)

Another product of the Indian Heaven volcanic field in southwestern Washington, the Lewis River has carved a 500-foot deep canyon through a basalt formation, down which several tributaries drop.  As Big Creek plunges down Cave Falls to meet the river it has scoured an incredibly narrow canyon.  While the shape of the gorge precludes close up views and is even hard to see from a distance, what makes it so interesting is the stream appears to flow underground in several areas, including near the top of the falls and again at the base of the falls.  Whether these caves were formed by erosion or are remnants of lava tubes is not known.  Unfortunately the geology is so impenetrable that we may never really know what the creek does in that canyon.

Lower Devil Creek Falls

Lower Devil Creek Falls (WA)

While Cave Falls is essentially inaccessible, Lower Devil Creek Falls might represent a small scale reproduction of what Cave Falls might look like.  Carved into a segment of the Grande Ronde Basalt formation Devil Creek has scoured out a half-mile long, 100 foot deep canyon with a pretty 40-foot waterfall pouring out of the foot-wide slot at its head.  The falls plunge into an alcove which is so deeply undercut and open to the sky that it feels as if it were underground (the falls likely never see direct sunlight).  Incidentally just downstream is Boulder Cave, where the creek undercut the cliff so much that it collapsed and formed a 500-foot long cavern with the stream flowing through it.  Unlike Cave Falls, Lower Devil Creek Falls and its canyon is readily accessible via a well developed nature trail.

Loowit Falls and Step Falls (WA)

While perhaps not unique in the world, there are not many places where one can witness a waterfall pouring out of the crater of an active volcano, let alone multiple waterfalls.  When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, it left a huge, gaping crater in its place.  A large glacier has since formed in the crater and the melt water of which now feeds two major streams, each producing waterfalls.  The larger stream, Loowit Creek, harbors four major waterfalls ranging from about 30 feet up to the nearly 190-foot drop of Loowit Falls as it descends from the crater.  Along a parallel course Step Creek drops down a much more impressive canyon in two falls of roughly 120 feet each, but of considerably lesser volume than Loowit Creek.  Unfortunately because of the fragile environment traveling off-trail is not allowed in the area so only distant views of most of these waterfalls are possible.

Rucker Falls

Rucker Falls (WA)

The massive north face of Big Four Mountain is among the more recognizable peaks in Washington State, but Rucker Falls which drains off of the small snow fingers which cling to its sides are seldom recognized.  The falls seem to be ephemeral in volume but flow all year thanks to melting snow, but much more recognizable than the waterfall are the ice caves which form at its foot.  The falls occur at the apex of an avalanche gully which funnels a large volume of snow to the valley floor in the winter, allowing a permanent cone of ice to form that was at one time thought to be a glacier.  As the water in the falls sprays down behind the cone of ice, it pushes air underneath it, allowing the ice to melt from the inside out, forming an extensive network of ice caves in the autumn months.

Silver Falls State Park (OR)

Among Oregon’s most famous tourist destinations, Silver Falls State Park harbors eleven named waterfalls varying from 27 to 178 feet in height.  While none of the falls have special or unique shapes, the geology has allowed for the four most significant falls in the mark – North Falls, Middle North Falls, South Falls and Lower South Falls – to have undercut their respective ledges to certain degrees and as a result trails have been constructed passing behind each of these waterfalls, each with a different flavor.  South Falls plunges off a high undercut ledge, so walking behind the falls feels exposed and airy.  Middle North Falls and Lower South Falls curtain down over a wide breadths, which makes walking behind either of them it feel like walking behind a fountain.  North Falls, on the other hand, has undercut its alcove to a depth of as much as 100 feet, so not only does passing behind the falls produce a deafening echo, but it almost feels like watching a waterfall from a window underground.

Twister Falls

Tunnel Falls & Twister Falls (OR)

The Eagle Creek Trail in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge is famous for its impressive quantity of waterfalls and stellar scenery.  Not only does it harbor some of Oregon’s most photogenic waterfalls, but two of Oregon’s most unique waterfalls nearly side-by-side.  Tunnel Falls, arguably the best waterfall along the trail is encountered six miles from the parking lot where the trail is blasted into the side of a sheer cliff, contouring around the alcove harboring the falls and passing behind the falls via a tunnel carved into the solid bedrock – there was simply no other feasible way to cross the East Fork of Eagle Creek.  While the trail gives Tunnel Falls its character, just around the corner on the main stem of Eagle Creek lies Twister Falls, which seems to fold over on itself as it falls, giving it a very distinct criss-crossing appearance that is not at all commonly seen.

Hole-in-the-Wall Falls (OR)

While Hole-in-the-Wall Falls is technically speaking not a natural waterfall, it is individually unique in the Pacific Northwest.  Warren Creek formerly dropped over a waterfall about 300 feet to the west of its current course, but debris would apparently gather in the channel above the falls and wash down onto the original Columbia Gorge Highway below, so in the 1930s highway engineers blasted a tunnel through the adjacent cliff and redirected the falls away from the road to prevent future debris slides.  While parts of the concrete culvert have crumbled away over the years, looking closely at the point where the falls emerge from the cliff will reveal it to be quite obviously man-made.

Upper Proxy Falls

Upper Proxy Falls (OR)

While nearby Proxy Falls is in every regard a better waterfall – its taller, much more voluminous and infinitely more photogenic – Upper Proxy Falls holds one very unique characteristic over its big brother.  Upper Proxy Falls is fed directly by springs in the hillside which spurt out of the ground and immediately cascade down amid mossy boulders and stairstep cliffs.  At the bottom of the falls, the stream flows into a calm pool of about thirty feet in diameter, from which there is no apparent outlet, so it appears as if the falls begin and end with the same immediacy.  The explanation is the volcanic history in the valley: an eruption from Collier Cone on the northwest side of North Sister about 1600 years ago sent an extensive lava flow nearly 14 miles down the valley of the White Branch, covering it with blocky, very porous lava that allows every stream which enters the valley to sink underground and emerge some distance downstream in springs.  The stream feeding Upper Proxy Falls just sinks underground with much greater immediacy than Proxy Creek itself does.

Tamolitch Falls (OR)

If it seems like we’ve discussed waterfalls which are affected by volcanic geology a lot here that’s because there is so much volcanic history in the Pacific Northwest.  Maybe the very best example of this influence is found at Tamolitch Falls along Oregon’s McKenzie River.  The McKenzie begins in full force in spring fed Clear Lake about five miles upstream, but before it reaches Tamolitch Falls nearly all of the river is diverted at the Carmen Reservoir, leaving the streambed below the dam essentially dry for the majority of the year.  But at Tamolitch Falls, where a dry 60-foot waterfall usually resides a huge pool remains at the base of the falls.  Fed by an immense spring the McKenzie River springs back to life in full spate from the foot of the dry falls, fed by the huge aquafir to the east.  While Tamolitch Falls does flow during the height of the spring melt season, there is nothing quite like seeing a full-size river starting from the foot of a dry waterfall.

Tamolitch Falls - Blue-Eyed-Adventure-Girl, Flickr

Devil’s Slide Falls (ID)

The Pacific Northwest isn’t known for an abundance of waterfalls formed by granite outcrops, and generally most of the waterfalls which are formed by granite are much steeper.  Devil’s Slide Falls is perhaps the biggest outlier of this rule.  After the falls crash down a rugged step, Kent Creek glides over a long, smooth natural waterslide for several hundred feet.  While the sliding part of the falls may not appear to conform to the definition of a legitimate waterfall, the upper tiers are certainly worthy of the title and are the draw for those looking to add to their tally.  But the slides are the real attraction here, often adorned with visitors sliding down the long slabs and sunbathing on the adjacent rocks.

Waterfalls of Thousand Springs (ID)

Idaho’s Snake River Plain is a vast arid landscape which doesn’t appear at first glance to be the type of terrain where one could find an extensive network of waterfalls.  But as the Snake River has carved a lengthy canyon in the otherwise flat landscape, its tributary streams tend to experience some sort of significant change in elevation.  The Thousand Springs complex is a completely different outlier however.  The Snake Plain is said to harbor an aquafir with a volume equal to that of the Snake River itself, and it all comes spilling out of the earth in the Snake River Canyon near the town of Hagerman.  The very aptly named Thousand Springs formerly consisted of a quarter-mile long wall of waterfalls pouring over 100 feet from the middle of the cliffs into the Snake River, but by 1916 the entire wall of waterfalls was fully harnessed to generate electricity and for all intents and purposes it no longer exists.  Adjacent are several other waterfall fed by the same aquafir – Lemmon Falls, Minne Miller Falls, Wing Spring and Juniper Falls – all of which can be seen from various places along the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway, but none of which live up to the sheer scale of the namesake feature.

Thousand Springs before the diversion - waterarchives, Flickr

Rainbow Falls (ID)

Yeah, we know Rainbow Falls is a real common name and you’ll have no idea which one we’re talking about at first glance.  This particular Rainbow Falls is found in southeastern Idaho in the Snake River Range near the Wyoming border.  The falls serve as the inspiration for the name of its valley, Waterfall Canyon, but the falls don’t quite behave like a primary feature in the canyon.  Instead of being found on the stream running lengthwise along the valley’s floor, the creek emerges  high up the side of the valley wall from a spring at an elevation of around 8300 feet.  What makes this so unusual is there is barely any mountain above the spring to feed the aquafir.  Most of the water feeding the falls actually percolates through the mountain from the next valley to the east, which features a broad basin which collects plenty of snow to feed into the water table, ensuring the falls flow consistently throughout the year.

In 1952 the United States Army Corp of Engineers began work on The Dalles Dam along the Columbia River, straddling the border of the states of Washington and Oregon.  The dam was completed and online by 1957 and the resulting impounded waters of which submerged the Columbia’s Celilo Falls.  Celilo Falls was, is and continues to be a location of great tribal significance for the Native Americans of the area.  The falls were considered to be sacred and functioned as one of the largest (if not the largest) Native fishing locations in the Pacific Northwest.  But even the historical and cultural significance aside, Celilo Falls was noteworthy if only for the fact that prior to being submerged, it was both the widest and most voluminous (on average) waterfall in all of North America.  Because of The Dalles Dam, this feature of global and cultural significance has essentially been lost for several generations.

There have been many pushes over the years to restore the falls to their natural state, but none have come anywhere close to fruition.  However, with the emergence of “going green” as both a political and pop culture mindset in the last several years, the idea of restoring Celilo Falls to its natural state may just become more realistic than it ever has in the past.  Some have suggested at least temporarily restoring the falls by drawing down the impounded waters behind The Dalles Dam, but such concepts have been met with resistance at the federal level and have largely gone ignored and unanswered.  The fact that The Dalles Dam has passed its half-century mark now, however, may start to sway opinions in the other direction.  Grassroots movements have started to emerge with a push towards restoration of the falls, which will hopefully gain momentum in the coming years.  The proposed formation of a Mount Hood National Park nearby could potentially also put pressure on the right people to start seriously considering the idea of restoring Celilo Falls.

In 2006 voters in Washington State passed Initiative 937, which mandated that by the year 2020, the state must acquire 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources.  Hydroelectric generation, however, was not a renewable source that qualified for this bill (oddly, considering it is by far the most abundant renewable form of energy in the Pacific Northwest).  This means the State of Washington, for its part, has incentive to push forward energy projects which could potentially replace the loss of generating capacity that would result in the decommissioning and removal of The Dalles Dam such as wind and solar farms.  The chances of the dam being removed by 2020 are completely nonexistent, but this sort of focus on renewable sources may push government agencies towards thinking about the impact that large-scale hydro projects such as those along the Columbia River and whether it may be possible to avoid the pitfalls (destroying Salmon runs, population displacement, submerging of notable cultural and geological features, etc) associated with them.

Further, starting in June of 2011, the US National Park Service began the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States in Washington where both the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams are being removed from the Elwha River near Port Angeles.  The Elwha was historically known to have one of the most abundant Salmon migrations in the Northwest, and when the dams were built they reduced the spawning area for the fish from as much as 35 miles to a mere 4 miles.  The simple fact that both the government and public are not only amenable to such a project, but fully support the removal of significant dams like these should signal that the concept is not as far fetched as may initially seem.  We may one day see Celilo Falls flowing again.

As was mentioned in previous posts, for the launch of the new website and blog, we’ve uploaded our full datum for the Canadian province of British Columbia.  As we upload our data, one of the ongoing features we planned for the blog is a series outlining some of the most interesting and impressive waterfalls in each region as it goes online.  So, for the inaugural post in this series, we’re tackling British Columbia.  BC is very well endowed with waterfalls, many of which are absolutely world class.  However, we’re not focusing on the biggest and best (yet).  This post is dedicated to some of the most unique, odd and strange waterfalls found in the province.  So, without further ado:

Waterfalls of the Nakimu Caves

Deep in the wilderness of British Columbia’s Glacier National Park lies the Nakimu Caves, which at over 7km in length is one of the largest limestone cave systems in the world.  The caves were named from a Shuswap word meaning “grumbling spirits”, a nod to the sounds that Cougar Brook makes as it cascades in a series of waterfalls into sinkholes and disappears underground into the cave structure.  Within the Nakimu Caves are no less than four natural waterfalls – Gopher Falls, Bear Falls, Douglas Falls and Whistler Falls.  At least two of these waterfalls occur where their respective streams plunge into sinkholes, while the other two could be similar sinkhole waterfalls or could just as easily be entirely subterranean waterfalls (we have seen extremely little information about all four waterfalls, so its hard to say for sure).  While popular during the early 1900s due to visitation to nearby Glacier House along the Canadian Pacific Railway, because the Nakimu Caves pose numerous dangers and lie amid prime grizzly bear habitat, public access has been restricted since 1935 and thus surveying these waterfalls is an extremely difficult task.

Naiad Falls, Click to view on WWD

Naiad Falls & Tethys Falls

Deep in the Rocky Mountains the behemoth gash known as Icefall Canyon harbors one of North America’s most staggering waterfalls in Cerberus Falls.  However, it’s the nearby companions Naiad Falls and Tethys Falls which are the more interesting attractions.  As Icefall Canyon like much of the Rockies is carved out of Limestone, water finds its way to circumvent the earth in most peculiar ways in this area.  Both Naiad and Tethys Falls spew out of caves in the middle of huge cliff faces – Naiad Falls spraying over 600 feet down the sheer walls of Icefall Canyon in a delicate, lacy show, while Tethys Falls froths forth in a powerful river, the origins of which are simply a mystery.

Emperor Falls - Justin Roberts Photography, Flickr

Emperor Falls

After Mount Robson itself, Emperor Falls may be the single most recognized geologic feature in Mount Robson Provincial Park.  The Robson River hurtles over a cliff and slams on a protruding rock face such that it creates a massive outward explosion of water, causing the river to fall as much as 100 feet away from the cliff face.  Perhaps even more interesting from a geologic standpoint is what the river does as it continues downstream.  Instead of following a more or less linear course, the Robson is diverted into a 1-kilometer long natural trough which follows the rim of the canyon below Emperor Falls.  In so many places the river seems just about to spill over the side of the canyon, but not until it reaches Falls of the Pool nearly 900m downstream does it turn sideways and hurtle into the depths of the chasm.

Niagara Falls

No, not that Niagara Falls.  And actually, not the well known Niagara Falls found within Vancouver Island’s Goldstream Provincial Park either.  This particular Niagara Falls is found isolated at the end of Quesnel Lake just outside of Wells Gray Provincial Park.  Accessible only by boat (or aircraft), Niagara Creek – which is really a river – thunders down a narrow trough in a canyon and just before it reaches the calm waters of Quesnel Lake is split into half a dozen channels by multiple spires of rock jutting into the stream, falling about 250 feet in all.  As Niagara Creek mingles with the lake waters below, another interesting phenomena can be witnessed as the muddy, glacially tinted waters of Niagara Creek mix with the clear blue water of Quesnel Lake.  The effect can, at times, look similar to pouring a glass of chocolate milk into a basin full of blue fruit punch.

Pyramid Creek Falls - somenice, Flickr

Pyramid Creek Falls

Pyramid Creek Falls holds the distinction of being one of the most photographed waterfalls in British Columbia that, for all intents and purposes, can not be accessed.  The falls thunder 300 feet down to join the North Thompson River opposite the Yellowhead Highway between Valemount and Blue River.  The falls can be partially seen from the highway but no trail leads there and a huge river blocks direct access.  Instead, travelers riding the sightseeing Rocky Mountain Explorer train that runs between Vancouver and Jasper National Park will experience a face full of the falls.  As the train crosses Pyramid Creek, riders will be treated to a view of the uniquely shaped falls – one side of the veiling fall plunging over a sheer cliff while the other side slides down a pitched incline and spreads out over a broad pile of talus boulders in a way that the falls look like they slide down the mountain sideways.

Monkman (top left), Shire (top right) and Brooks Falls (bottom) - i4detail, Flickr

Monkman Cascades

Monkman Provincial Park harbors some of the most pristine scenery in all of Canada.  Among the primary attractions are the Monkman Cascades, a series of 10 waterfalls along Monkman Creek as it flows towards the Murray River.  All but one of the waterfalls have official names and all are quite pretty, but a handful of the falls are especially unique for other reasons.  In particular, McGinnis, Monkman and Shire Falls are geologically quite interesting.  As Monkman Creek flows downhill, it intersects a diagonally uplifted fault line at McGinnis Falls.  The creek then parallels the fault, crossing back over it, and then crossing it a third time, this time spilling over Monkman Falls.  Meanwhile nearby a small lake with an underground source feeds a major tributary to Monkman Creek which falls over this same fault line just downstream of Monkman Falls and produces Shire Falls.  Making the scene all the more scenic is the presence of not just a pool below each waterfall, but a lake separating each drop – such that the course of the Monkman Cascades consists of alternating lakes and waterfalls for over three kilometers.

Keyhole Falls

Keyhole Falls is the largest waterfall along the Lillooet River, found about 3 hours north of Vancouver.  The falls were formed when nearby Mount Meager, one of Canada’s most violent volcanoes, erupted with great force and blocked the channel of the Lillooet River.  As the erupted material cooled and solidified, the river began wearing through and eventually carved a narrow slot canyon into the hardened lahar deposits and volcanic rock.  The result is a 100-foot tall waterfall along a river of considerable size which spews

Keyhole Falls - dbsteers, Flickr

out of an extremely narrow canyon into a very wide open basin.  Were access easier than it is, Keyhole Falls would undoubtedly be a well regarded attraction.

High Falls

The countless limestone canyons found throughout the Canadian Rockies are some of the most scenic gorges on the planet, but if you just want to see a big, deep impressive gash in the earth, look no further than High Falls just outside of Squamish.  High Falls Creek thunders over a series of waterfalls totaling 537 feet in height as it steps towards the Squamish River valley – each fall getting progressively taller and cutting deeper into the mountainside until the final leap of the falls hurtles into a 350-foot deep slot that constricts to no more than 5-feet wide at its base.  Hikers visiting the falls can lie on their stomachs and peer into the dizzying depths of the defile and try to pick out the stream at its base (trust us, it’s not as easy as it might sound).  What’s more impressive is that after looking straight down for 300 feet, one must look up another 200 or more feet to just see the top of the cliffs lining the canyon!

High Falls, click to view on WWD

Swiftcurrent Falls

Yet another waterfall taking advantage of the all-too common Limestone bedrock of the Canadian Rockies, but this time perhaps to a detriment of the waterfall.  Swiftcurrent Creek is a large river originating from one of the largest glaciers in Mount Robson Provincial Park.  Before the creek can merge with the Fraser River, it has to circumvent a nearly vertical 1,700 foot tall cliff.  One would think that a waterfall of this size would be headline-grabbing, but thanks to that ubiquitous Limestone, the creek has managed to carve itself deeply into the side of the mountain such that the waterfall itself is situated within a narrow, twisting slot canyon, with no more than a fifth of the falls visible on the surface.  Geologically this is a fascinating feature, but were the entire waterfall visible instead, we’d probably be discussing Swiftcurrent Falls as the best waterfall in Canada instead of just being neat.

Natural Bridge, click to view on WWD

Natural Bridge of the Kicking Horse

And capping off this list we have one of the biggest tourist traps in the Canadian Rockies – the blandly titled Natural Bridge along the Kicking Horse River in Yoho National Park.  While not specifically identified as a waterfall, make no mistake the Kicking Horse take a tumble here.  Of course, because the river effectively dives underground, emerging at the foot of what seems to be a 30-foot tall cliff, you might be excused for not realizing this is, in fact a waterfall.  The volume of the river is the main factor which makes it lesser than obvious, with as much as 10,000 cubic feet of water flowing over the falls (or perhaps under the rock is a more apt phrase), most of what can be seen is a frothy river surging into a solid wall, followed by a frothy river surging out of a huge boiling pool on the other side of the wall.  Not terribly impressive as waterfalls go, but its certainly a great way to appreciate the power of water.