Mushbowl, The

The Mushbowl is located in the heart of the Clearwater Corridor section of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Take the Clearwater Valley Road 42 kilometers north from the Yellowhead Highway in Clearwater to the one-lane bridge spanning the Murtle River. There is little room to park and observe the falls - a small turnout on the north side of the bridge has room for maybe 3 cars at most.The Mushbowl is a small waterfall sandwiched in between the two mammoth cataracts of the Murtle River, Helmcken Falls and Dawson Falls. At The Mushbowl, the otherwise broad river is pinched to about 50 feet wide immediately below side-by-side falls of 15 feet, split by a rock in the middle of the river. To the left side of the falls is a cave which can be accessed when the river is at or below moderately high flows, providing a unique view of the cataract.The name of this waterfall has been bestowed upon the feature since prior to the 1940s, but its exact date of conception is not known. The name stems from the river's tendency to pool violently behind the rocky protrusion which pinches the river, causing its waters to swirl and prevent even the largest of logs floating down the river from proceeding further.