Akolkolex Falls | World Waterfall Database

CATALOGED
This waterfall has been surveyed, mapped and measured in person by the World Waterfall Database.

The Akolkolex River dumps into Upper Arrow Lake in a series of significant waterfalls which have until now escaped much documentation. BCHydro operates a facilitiy at the falls, with the intake immediately upstream of the top of the gorge, so this allows speculation that the net head of the hydro project will reflect very accurately the size of the falls. The penstocks operate at 387 feet (118 meters) of head, but the way the falls are divided in the gorge, we’ve decided to split it into two entries. The lower part of the falls, usually referred to as Akolkolex Falls and the most commonly seen part of the falls due to its visibility from the waters of Upper Arrow Lake, are a series of cataracts plunging about 200 feet directly into the lake.

The river flows through a narrow gorge between the upper and lower falls, and then turns 90 degrees and plunges 45 feet into a pile of boulders, where the river collects itself and falls 60, 60 and 30 feet down a twisty staircase to the calm waters of a cove in the lake. Unfortunately, the views of the falls from the BC Forest service recreation site are lacking and rather dangerous to achieve. The upper two tiers are looked down on from a promontory looming 150 feet above the floor of the canyon, with no fencing of any sort.

Hydroelectric Intergration
This waterfall has been incorporated into a hydroelectric scheme and as a result may not flow consistently year round.

HISTORY AND NAMES

Akolkolex Falls is the Official name of this waterfall

Our thoughts

If you have access to a boat, the best place to view the falls is from the lake itself. If you don’t have a boat, rent one, because this waterfall is worth seeing from a more flattering perspective than the canyon-rim views afforded from the recreation site.

Location and directions

The Akolkolex Falls Recreation Site is found on the west side of the Akolkolex River bridge along the Akolkolex FSR, about 30km from the Revelstoke Airport - consult a map for detailed directions from Revelstoke. Once parked, follow poorly maintained paths downstream along the canyon rim to an unguarded vista looking into the upper part of the falls. The base of the falls can only be seen from lake level.

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Akolkolex Falls is shown in the center. The 10 closest waterfalls within a 8km radius are shown as well (if any). Click any icon or see the list below for more information.

Additional Nearby Waterfalls

Name of Waterfall	Distance
Upper Akolkolex Falls	0.1 mi / 0.17 km
Sutherland Falls	2.78 mi / 4.45 km
Mulvehill Creek Falls	4.34 mi / 6.95 km

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Photography tips

The pictures of Akolkolex Falls we've seen from the base show it to be a powerful, scenic waterfall. The view from the gorge rim which we have personally visited, however, is less than optimal. The gorge will see direct sunlight in the afternoon but when the river is running high, this isn't necessarily a bad thing because rainbows will abound.

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Akolkolex Falls British Columbia, Canada