Knowlton Falls

Knowlton Falls is encountered 2.2 kilometers along the Kinney Lake trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park. From the junction of Highways 5 and 16 in Tete Jaune Cache, follow the Yellowhead Highway (16) east for 16.3 kilometers to Mount Robson Meadows and turn left onto Kinney Lake Road, then follow it to the trailhead at its end in another 2 kilometers. Expect to encounter a crowded parking area, the Kinney Lake Trail is the most popular hike in the Canadian Rockies.Knowlton Falls is a small waterfall found along the Robson River between Kinney Lake and the Fraser River in Mount Robson Provincial Park. The most defining feature of this waterfall is the fact that it's just not clear exactly which waterfall along the river bears the name Knowlton Falls. The falls appear marked on several maps produced by Parks Canada, and are listed in both the Canadian and BC Provincial Geographic Names databases, however the coordinates which are associated with the official records place the falls just upstream of the bridge across the Robson River at the beginning of the Kinney Lake Trail where no waterfalls exist. There are instead three potential locations further up the Robson River which might be the actual Knowlton Falls. The first is in a deeper part of the gorge well below the Kinney Lake trail which cannot be seen without extensive (and potentially dangerous) scrambling, and it's not even clear whether there is a legitimate waterfall there (it could just be rapids). The second location, and the one we feel is most likely the correct one, is about halfway between the trailhead and Kinney Lake where the trail skirts right next to the river where it spills over a 15-foot tall, 45-foot wide block shaped waterfall. The coordinates and photographs attached to this page in the database are of this waterfall. The third possibility is located about one kilometer further up the trail where the river drops over two small bedrock ledges choked with a large log jam - this waterfall looks potentially taller than the second one, but its much more difficult to see and not entirely clear how much of it is formed by bedrock versus a log jam. In any case, Knowlton Falls is not a significant waterfall in terms of height, but the consistently high volume of the Robson River does at least ensure that the falls are voluminous enough to elicit a powerful rumble all year long. Despite its small size - no matter which location is the real falls - the river kicks up a surprising amount of spray, which makes photography a little tricky.