Dawson Falls

Dawson Falls is located in the heart of the Clearwater Corridor section of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Take the Clearwater Valley Road 41 kilometers north from the Yellowhead Highway in Clearwater to the parking area and trailhead. The barrier-free path leads to the falls in less than 5 minutes.The three roadside waterfalls on the Murtle River provide stark contrasts to one another, excellent illustrations of the true power of the river. Dawson Falls is the uppermost of the three – thundering 18 meters over a 100 meter wide ledge. Views are had from the canyon rim downstream of the falls, where the true size of the falls can be clearly observed, as well as from adjacent to the top of the falls, literally an arms length away from the rushing water. Here the true power of the river can be appreciated. Access is also possible to the base of the falls on the opposite side of the river, but it isn’t developed or maintained.Its not entirely clear who first discovered the falls, but it may have been surveyor Robert Lee who was responsible for first mapping and naming the falls in 1913. The falls bear the name of George Herbert Dawson, who acted as the Land Surveyor General for British Columbia between 1912 and 1917.