Mahood River facts for kids
The Mahood River is a beautiful river located in the northern Shuswap Highland area of British Columbia in Wells Gray Provincial Park. It flows for about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Mahood Lake until it joins the Clearwater River, which then flows into the North Thompson River. The Mahood River has carved a deep canyon through ancient rocks and glacial deposits.
Along its short journey, the Mahood River tumbles over two amazing waterfalls.
- Sylvia Falls is 20 metres (66 ft) high and 90 metres (295 ft) wide. It flows over a pile of rocks and dirt left behind by glaciers. This waterfall is always changing because the glacial material is quite soft, so the falls slowly moves upstream over time.
- Just 100 metres (328 ft) downstream from Sylvia Falls is Goodwin Falls. This waterfall is 10 metres (33 ft) high and 60 metres (197 ft) wide.
How Mahood River and its Waterfalls Got Their Names
The Mahood River and nearby Mahood Lake are named after a man named James Adam Mahood. He was in charge of a Canadian Pacific Railway survey team in this area back in 1872. The Mahood River and the Canim River (which flows into Mahood Lake) were originally part of a stream called Bridge Creek. In 1941, they were given their own names, and 'Bridge Creek' was kept only for the stream flowing into Canim Lake.
The two waterfalls, Sylvia Falls and Goodwin Falls, were named by a photographer and writer named Chess Lyons. In 1940, soon after Wells Gray Park was created, Chess Lyons was asked to explore and map the area. The Minister of Lands at the time, Hon. Arthur Wellesley Gray, gave Lyons a list of his friends he wanted to have places named after in the park.
Chess Lyons didn't think this was a good idea. He believed that places should be named after people who had a real connection to the park, like early explorers, miners, or trappers. However, he had to follow orders! So, whenever he found a small, less important swamp, he would use one of Mr. Gray's friends' names. But when he found a big creek, a waterfall, or a mountain peak, he would use a name from his own list of important local people.
Most of Mr. Gray's names have been forgotten, except for one: Goodwin Falls. Years later, Chess Lyons explained that he named this "most prominent thing" after one of Gray's friends, hoping it would distract him while he named other, less important things after his own choices. For a long time, no one knew who Goodwin was. It was later discovered that Walter Goodwin was a dentist from Spokane, Washington, who had worked on Mr. Gray's teeth! That's how a dentist ended up with a waterfall named after him in Wells Gray Park.
The only other exception to Chess Lyons's rule was Sylvia Falls, which he named after his own wife.
Visiting Mahood River and its Waterfalls
You can reach the Mahood River by driving from Clearwater on the Yellowhead Highway. A rough road follows the west side of the Clearwater River for about 38.5 kilometres (23.9 mi). It ends where the Mahood River joins the Clearwater River. There's a simple campsite there.
From this campsite, you can walk along a trail that follows the south bank of the Mahood River. It's about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to Sylvia and Goodwin Falls, which takes about an hour to walk. The trail continues on to Mahood Lake, which is another 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) hike, taking about 1.5 hours.
Another way to get to the Mahood River is by boat from the Mahood Lake Campground, located at the west end of Mahood Lake.
