Spahats Creek Falls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spahats Creek Falls |
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| Location | Wells Gray Provincial Park |
| Coordinates | 51°44′00″N 120°01′00″W / 51.733333°N 120.016667°W |
| Type | Plunge |
| Total height | 246 feet (75 m) |
| Number of drops | 2 |
| Longest drop | 200 feet (61 m) |
| Total width | 25 feet (7.6 m) |
| Watercourse | Spahats Creek |
Spahats Creek Falls, also known as Spahats Falls, is a beautiful waterfall located in Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. This impressive waterfall is about 60 meters (200 feet) tall. If you include a second part of the falls, it reaches around 75 to 80 meters (246 to 262 feet) in height. It's a popular spot for visitors, especially those on bus tours, because it's only about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the busy Yellowhead Highway.
Spahats Creek gets its water from melting snow and springs high up between Raft Mountain and Trophy Mountain. The creek flows west for about 15 kilometers (9 miles). Then, it plunges over Spahats Falls before joining the Clearwater River.
The name "Spahats" comes from a First Nations word meaning "bear." For a long time, the creek was known as Bear Creek. In 1953, when the first detailed map of the Clearwater Valley was made, it showed the creek as "Bear Creek" and the falls as "Spahats (Bear) Creek Falls." By the late 1960s, "Spahats" became a common name. This was because there were many other "Bear Creeks" in British Columbia. So, "Spahats" was officially adopted to avoid confusion.
These amazing natural features used to be part of a smaller park called Spahats Creek Provincial Park. However, in 1997, the borders of Wells Gray Provincial Park were made larger. They expanded south along the Clearwater River and included Spahats Creek. Today, you might see a "Wells Gray Park" sign near Spahats Creek. Another, bigger sign is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) further north. Spahats Creek Park once had a campground with 20 spots. It was in a lovely old-growth forest. But in 2006, the campground closed. It was turned into a very large parking lot for visitors.
How Spahats Falls Was Formed
Spahats Falls was created by layers of volcanic rock. This is similar to how the much larger Helmcken Falls was formed. About 300,000 years ago, many volcanoes erupted from Trophy Mountain. They poured lava into the Clearwater River Valley. This lava filled the valley layer by layer, reaching a depth of over 300 meters (984 feet).
Volcanic eruptions in this valley happened on and off for 200,000 years. They produced about 25 cubic kilometers (6 cubic miles) of lava. This lava helped create features in Wells Gray Park, like Murtle Plateau. After the eruptions stopped, the Clearwater River began to flow again. It started cutting through the layers of hardened lava.
During the Ice Age, huge sheets of ice scraped away at the lava. When all this ice melted, the powerful floods finished shaping the land. They carved out Granite Canyon on the Clearwater River. They also created the side canyon where Spahats Falls now plunges.
Exploring the Trails at Spahats Falls
There are several trails for you to explore around Spahats Falls:
- The main path from the parking lot leads to the viewing platform. It takes about 5 minutes to walk there.
- Another trail, a bit longer, starts from the parking lot. It follows the edge of Spahats Creek Canyon. This path then joins the main trail.
- A beautiful trail begins at the viewing platform. It goes north along the rim of Granite Canyon. This is a 20-minute walk to the Clearwater Valley Overlook. You can return the same way. Or, you can follow the access road back to the parking lot.
- A short trail starts from the southeast corner of the parking lot. It follows Spahats Creek upstream. This leads to a small loop trail. It was originally built as a nature trail for the old campground. A 5-minute walk will take you to a group of impressive old-growth red cedar trees.
- Reaching the bottom of Spahats Falls is a very difficult climb. It starts at the viewing platform and quickly drops 300 meters (984 feet). It's best not to go during May and June. The canyon can be very wet then, and the creek might be flooding.
- The Clearwater River Trail is 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) long one way. You can access it at different points for a shorter hike.
- A trail to the Spahats Natural Bridge starts 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) south of the viewpoint turnoff. It takes less than 30 minutes each way. The start of this trail is not marked. The path is rough and steep.
- For more detailed information about these trails, you can check out the guidebook Exploring Wells Gray Park.
