Similkameen Falls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Similkameen Falls |
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| Location | South of Princeton, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°09′52″N 120°34′25″W / 49.16444°N 120.57361°W |
| Type | Cascade |
| Total height | 25 feet (7.6 m) |
| Number of drops | 3-4 |
| Longest drop | 5 feet (1.5 m) |
| Total width | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
| Watercourse | Similkameen River |
Similkameen Falls is a cool waterfall in British Columbia, Canada. You can find it on the Similkameen River. It's about 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Princeton. The falls are located just after the Pasayten River joins the Similkameen River. They are also just before Copper Creek flows into the river.
Sometimes, people get Similkameen Falls mixed up with another waterfall. There's a different waterfall called Coyote Falls. That one is further downstream in the US state of Washington.
What Similkameen Falls Looks Like
Similkameen Falls is more like a big series of rapids than a single tall waterfall. Over a short distance of about 0.2 kilometers (0.12 miles), the river drops about 25 feet (7.6 meters). This happens at the bottom of a deep canyon. Huge walls of rock, some as tall as 250 feet (76 meters), rise up on both sides of the falls. These rocks are made of igneous rock, which forms from cooled lava.
The first part of the falls is a powerful chute. It's about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and only 3 feet (0.9 meters) wide. The entire river is squeezed through this narrow opening. This makes the water very strong and fast. After the chute, the river crashes into a deep, bowl-shaped pool. You can still see parts of an old bridge here. It used to cross the river right above this first drop.
After leaving the deep pool, the falls continue as a series of big rapids. The river is forced into a wild, chaotic state in at least three places. This often happens because large rocks and boulders have fallen from the cliffs into the river. But these rapids don't last long. The river soon flows out of the canyon and becomes much calmer again.
How to See the Falls
You can easily see the lower parts of Similkameen Falls. Just look upstream into the canyon from Highway 3. The very top parts of the falls are hidden from this spot. This is because the falls bend about 45 degrees shortly after the first drop. To see the upper parts, you need to go to the edge of the canyon on the north side of the river.
