Potamoi Falls

Were it located almost anywhere else in the province, Potamoi Falls would be considered among the best and perhaps among the most significant waterfalls of British Columbia. As it is, the factor of overshadowing by nearby Cerberus Falls is almost off the scale and thus even the most dedicated waterfall enthusiasts will likely feel a bit jaded when viewing this impressive cataract. Potamoi Falls is a 7-stepped fall which drops over the eastern side of spectacular Icefall Canyon, found deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The falls are fed by the melt of a small lobe of the Mons Icefield which drains west into British Columbia while the remaining mass flows north and east into Alberta. The glacier currently produces a consistent volume of water during the warmer months of the year, but due the cold winter climate will all but dissipate between November and March. The glacier is also exhibiting signs of retreat and may in turn result in a slowly diminishing volume of water in the falls. Because the falls occur in such a twisty nature, they are quite difficult to view in entirety. Approaching Icefall Canyon one is afforded views of the upper four drops and conversely from near the base only the final four tiers can be seen. The uppermost tier is largely obscured by trees and is very difficult to see from any angle. The second drop sees the stream split into two channels and horsetail in twin form. The third drop the creek splits into three channels, two of them again horsetailing but the third forming an immense roostertail which shoots out at least 100 feet from the cliff face. Unfortunately there is no way to closely approach this part of the falls. The next two drops are sheer plunges, followed by a smaller plunge in a narrow slot and a final plunge-to-cascade at the base of the falls. The measurement arrived at for the falls was produced by a means of GPS positioning and topographic data. We were able to laser measure the final four tiers of the falls as dropping 802 feet, in steps of 233, 329, 58 and 182 feet respectively while the three uppermost tiers were out of range of our equipment.We have proposed the name Potamoi Falls for this waterfall in line with the Greek Mythological names we chose for the other falls in the valley. The Potamoi were gods of rivers and streams that were, themselves, the offspring of the great earth-encircling river Okeanos. The Potamoi were often depicted as a man relaxing next to an amphora from which water was pouring. We felt that the distinct forceful roostertail seen in this waterfall fits that characteristic quite well.