Meadow Falls facts for kids
Meadow Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of seven waterfalls you can find along the Murtle River, which flows west from Murtle Lake. Meadow Falls stands about 8 meters (26 feet) tall.
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Discovering Meadow Falls
Who Found Meadow Falls?
Meadow Falls was first seen by a man named Joseph Hunter on May 26, 1874. He was a surveyor, which means he measured and mapped land. At the time, he was working for the company that would later build the Canadian Pacific Railway. This railway was a very important project that connected Canada from east to west.
How Meadow Falls Got Its Name
Joseph Hunter did not name Meadow Falls himself. However, he did name the Murtle River and Murtle Lake. He named them after his hometown in Scotland, which was called Milton of Murtle. The name "Meadow Falls" comes from the nearby marshy areas along the Murtle River. These marshes are like wet, grassy fields. This part of the river moves very slowly and is sometimes called "The Stillwater."
Visiting Meadow Falls
Why It's Hard to Visit
Not many people get to see Meadow Falls. This is because there are no roads or easy trails that lead directly to it. The marshy land around the falls also makes it very difficult to walk through.
Old Trails and Access
The closest hiking trail ends at Horseshoe Falls, which is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) downstream from Meadow Falls. In the 1950s and 1960s, some hunting groups used an old path called the Stillwater Trail. This trail reached the Murtle River about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) above Meadow Falls. However, this old trail is now covered by plants and cannot be used anymore.
