We’ve been in Clearwater for the last few days. The journey here from Revelstoke was straightforward (just long) and when we arrived, after a pint in the hotel bar, we made for the nearby bbq and craft beer place. “The Sow” was the name of the 8 sampler beer flight we ordered. There were too many nice ones to choose from so we thought why not try them all.

Unlike on previous stops we are staying in a hotel and not an Airbnb. It’s obviously not as comfortable as having your own apartment but it does have a small kitchenette and a sofa so it was fine for a few days. 

We have mainly spent our time exploring Wells Gray Provincial Park, which is on the doorstep of the hotel and located in the Cariboo Mountains. It has a mixture of rainforests, canyons, meadows and lakes but its biggest draw are the waterfalls for which there are many. There is basically one long road that takes you through the entirety of the park and to give you an idea of size the road takes 2 hours to drive – and that’s without stopping. Obviously along the route there are various trails and waterfalls and views to explore so there is plenty to do as you wind your way through the park. 

We did 2 hikes and saw about 6 waterfalls, some were more impressive  than others so I will give you a brief (well it may not be that brief!) lowdown as follows. 

Dawson Falls

First up was Dawson Falls and this was probably one of my favourites. It wasn’t one of the high ones but it was really wide and ferocious. You could walk right next to it too so you got a good view of how fast it is. It was a bit like Niagara Falls, although not as big. It was good as there were two views you could take in, the first meant you got to see it from afar and then a short walk along the side enabled you to get right next to it. 

Helmckhen Falls

Next was Helmckhen Falls which was very different to Dawson, just as fast flowing but a lot higher and narrower. 

It was at this point that we decided to skirt the mountain edge to see if we could get some views of the river below. There is supposed to be a section where the Murtle River and Clearwater River meets so we wanted to see if we could see this confluence. We followed the rim trail for a bit which turned into a nice scenic walk along the cliff and we weren’t able to spot the exact location of the rivers meeting. Ah well, it was worth a try. 

Baileys Chute and West Lake Loop

We then drove further into the park further to do the first of our hikes, this one was called Baileys Chute and West Lake Loop. You started along the river and through a forest, there were a few fast flowing but short waterfalls along the way, and then the loop section of the trail took you around a river. 

After the walk we drove on for another 15 minutes to get to the end of the road, to Clearwater lake. This is a massive lake but you can only see a small part of it at the end, to see more you need to go via boat or kayak! We opted to stay on dry land though and instead picnicked by the lake. 

Moul Falls

There were two more stops we wanted to make on our way back. The first was Moul trail which is a hike that eventually took you to Moul Falls (that’s right, another waterfall!). Again you meandered through a forest and then you hear the falls before you see them. Interestingly you can’t actually see this waterfall from up high and in order to see it at all there was a rather treacherous and steep scramble down some rocky and muddy banks, together with some steel staircases. We got chatting to a guy half way on the trail and he had a bad hip and wasn’t able to get down safely to the bottom. He’d come all this way to not actually see the main event at the end. We felt gutted for him. 

By the time we got down there they were a very impressive sight. You could actually walk behind them if you wanted to but the spray blowing off the water was such that you’d get soaked! There was a couple who’d come prepared with waterproof jackets and trousers and it did look like fun but sadly we had to just watch from the bottom. 

Spahat Falls

Last but not least we stopped at Spahat falls. There’s actually a big viewing platform available to watch from so you get a great view of the falls and the canyon below. Another good photo opportunity so hopefully you aren’t bored by all the waterfalls pics yet. We thought we were spoiled at all the waterfalls in Hawaii but there seem to be just as many here! 

One of the downsides of the day was the number of insect bites we got. Despite covering ourselves in bug spray we still got bitten loads. I mean it’s not surprising as you can see lots of things buzzing around (and landing on you) but it’s not until you get back to your room that you notice the red marks…a small price to pay for the scenery I suppose. 

Day 2 in Clearwater

We took it a bit more leisurely on our second day. We did a few short walks down to some more waterfalls in Wells Grey, including the impressive Triple Decker falls, and then had a stroll in North Thompson Park which is the other park in Clearwater. We spent the afternoon recuperating in the pool at our hotel. 

We are heading to Jasper today so more from us in a few days.

Lucy