Murray Creek Falls

Take Highway 1 east from Lytton to the tiny town of Spences Bridge and turn right on Bridgeway Street. Make a successive right on Stratton then left on Colvin and cross the railroad tracks. Follow Colvin along the Thompson River for a little over a kilometer to where it recrosses the railroad tracks and make a hard right back along the tracks. The short trail leading to the falls can be found 150 meters along this secondary road which ends at a small building (possibly private property so you may want to park near the railroad crossing).Murray Creek Falls is a fairly substantial waterfall considering it essentially occurs within one of the driest areas of British Columbia. Though the drainage basin of Murray Creek isn't terribly large, it retains a consistent flow all year long - so when an easily accessible waterfall can be found on a perennial stream in the desert, its something to take notice of. Even more poignant is that Murray Creek appears to be the municipal water supply for the small town of Spences Bridge, or at least was at one point as indicated by the presence of a small dam above the falls and the run down buildings near the mouth of the creek. The falls consist of two drops, one of 38 feet immediately below the aforementioned dam, then a sheer plunge of 123 feet just around the corner. The upper tier can only be seen from across the Fraser River as the canyon is too constricted to view it from the base of the falls, and likewise the base of the falls is hidden from view from all but close up perspectives. Below the falls is another abandoned dam and further evidence that the waters of the creek were drawn off for various uses at points in the past. It should be noted that there isn't a clear indication of whether public access to this waterfall is 100% legal. There is an obvious path leading to the falls and plenty of evidence that it receives lots of use, but there is also a sign which looks to be at least 30 years old nearby stating the area is closed, so if you choose to visit, please use common sense and do not proceed if you feel you are not supposed to be there.The falls are frequently referred to as Spences Bridge Falls after the nearby town but Murray Creek Falls is thought to be the proper name, though I have yet to find a source able to confirm this one way or another. The indigenous name for this waterfall, or at least the area where the waterfall was located, is Chul-Chut. Whether it is appropriate to refer to it as Chul-Chut Falls is not entirely clear, though several photographs produced by James Skitt Matthews dating to some time in the early 1900s attributes it as such.