Mahood Falls facts for kids
Mahood Falls is a beautiful waterfall found in Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It's located on the Canim River, flowing between Canim Lake and Mahood Lake. This impressive waterfall is about 20 meters (66 feet) tall.
Mahood Falls is also the name of a small community nearby. About 50 people live there. It's spread out along 5 kilometers (3 miles) of road. The community once had a post office until 1990, but today there are no stores or services.
How Mahood Falls Got Its Name
The waterfall and the nearby Mahood Lake are named after James Adam Mahood. He was in charge of a railway survey in this area way back in 1872.
Interestingly, the waterfall itself wasn't always called Mahood Falls. Joan Uhrig, who grew up nearby, said her family didn't name it. They thought it was part of the bigger Canim Falls.
In the 1950s, a post office opened and was named Mahood Falls. Tourists started asking locals where the "Mahood Falls" waterfall was. To help them, Joan's family decided to call this specific waterfall "Mahood Falls." This way, they could easily tell visitors where to go. Only the community, not the waterfall, is officially named in British Columbia's records.
Visiting the Waterfall
You can reach Mahood Falls (the waterfall) by taking a short trail. This trail starts from the Mahood Lake Road. Signs on the road might only say 'Canim Falls'.
It's about a 10-minute walk to see Mahood Falls first. If you keep walking for another 10 minutes, you'll reach Canim Falls. Both waterfalls are on the Canim River, just downstream from Canim Lake. The river splits around a large island. The north part of the river goes over Mahood Falls. The south part, which carries much more water, flows over Canim Falls.
How the Waterfall Was Formed
Like many other waterfalls in Wells Gray Provincial Park, Mahood Falls was created by layers of volcanic rock. Over time, fresh lava flowed and hardened, forming flat areas.
After the last ice age, huge floods rushed over these flat areas. These powerful floods carved out the canyons you see below Mahood Falls and Canim Falls. Wind and rain have also helped shape the area. They even created a natural bridge in the cliffs near the trail. This is one of only three natural bridges in all of Wells Gray Park!
