Water curtain
The full river width.
Chris Woodrich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chris Woodrich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luka Peternel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 4.0
Wapta Falls is a waterfall on the Kicking Horse River in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, near the park's western edge, about 24 km southwest of the village of Field in a straight line. It is the largest waterfall on the river. The falls are about 18 metres high and 107 metres wide, with flows reaching 96 cubic metres per second. The name comes from a Nakoda word meaning river, and until 1901 the river itself was sometimes called the Wapta River. Near these falls in 1858 the explorer James Hector was kicked by his packhorse, which gave the Kicking Horse River its name. The whole river pours over a broad rock ledge in a white curtain of water, spray rises high above the pool, and rainbows form on sunny days. Rock walls and dense forest surround the falls, with Yoho's mountains above. Visitors drive a side road off the Trans-Canada Highway to a car park, then walk a mostly flat, easy forest trail to a viewpoint above the falls, with a short steep descent to the base. The spray near the base is heavy, so bring a rain jacket and watch for slippery ground.
The full river width.
Rainbows.
Through the forest.
Wapta Falls Road, off the Trans-Canada Highway, Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Mostly flat and easy; the last descent is steep.
A rain jacket for the spray.