Akolkolex Falls

The Akolkolex Falls Recreation Site is found on the west side of the Akolkolex River bridge along the Akolkolex FSR, about 30km from the Revelstoke Airport - consult a map for detailed directions from Revelstoke. Once parked, follow poorly maintained paths downstream along the canyon rim to an unguarded vista looking into the upper part of the falls. The base of the falls can only be seen from lake level.The Akolkolex River dumps into Upper Arrow Lake in a series of significant waterfalls which have until now escaped much documentation. A hydroelectric facility currently owned by TransAlta operates at the falls, with the intake immediately upstream of the top of the gorge above Frayne Falls, so this allows speculation that the net head of the hydro project will reflect very accurately the size of the various falls within the canyon. The penstocks operate at 118 meters (387 feet) of head, but the way the falls are divided in the gorge, we’ve decided to split it into two entries. The lower section of the gorge contains the Akolkolex Falls proper (with Frayne Falls found at the top of the gorge), and is likely the more commonly seen of the two falls as it can be seen from watercraft on Upper Arrow Lake. The falls consist of a series of plunges and cascades which drop approximately 60-65 meters in all directly into an alcove in the lake (assuming the lake isn't drawn down at least).
The river flows through a narrow gorge between the upper and lower falls, and then turns 90 degrees and plunges 15 meters into a pile of boulders, where the river collects itself and falls roughly 20, 20, and 10 meters down a twisty staircase to the calm waters of a cove in the lake. Unfortunately, the views of the falls from the BC Forest service recreation site are lacking and rather dangerous to achieve. The upper two tiers are looked down on from a promontory looming 50 meters above the floor of the canyon, with no fencing of any sort.