Bathtub Falls

The most direct access to Bathtub Falls is from Kootenay National Park. From Radium Hot Springs, drive east on Highway 93 then turn south onto Settler's Road after descending from Sinclair Pass. After 12-1/2 kilometers, bear left onto the Cross River Forest Service Road, then in another 2 kilometers turn right onto the Kootenay-Palliser Forest Service Road. Continue for another 22 kilometers to the bridge over the Palliser River, then turn left after the bridge onto the Palliser River Forest Service Road. Go another 4 kilometers then turn left onto the Albert River Forest Service Road, and continue another 2 kilometers to the first bridge over the Albert River (the second bridge crossed on this road - the first spanning the Palliser River), where Bathtub Falls will be found immediately below. Faint paths descend to the rocky beach below the falls on either side of the river.Bathtub Falls is a small waterfall, arguably inconsequential in stature which features somewhat unique geology to help make up for its diminutive stature. The falls are located along the Albert River approximately 2/3 of a kilometer upstream from where it merges with the Palliser River, southeast of Kootenay National Park. The falls occur as the river spreads out across a small bedrock shelf and plunge a little less than 3 meters (9 feet) into a trough-like pool which partially resembles a natural bathtub. The small size of the falls would otherwise preclude it from being included in this database were it not recognized by name. The Albert River drains from a basin which covers approximately 200 square kilometers (about 80 square miles) on the west slope of the Continental Divide between Kootenay National Park and Height of the Rockies Provincial Park. The considerable size of the drainage coupled with the typically heavy rocky mountain snow fall guarantees a good flow of water throughout the year, but there are no glaciers supplying flow to the Albert River, so it should be expected to be reduced in volume as the year progresses.