The best waterfalls in British Columbia

Shannon Falls in British Columbia is truly breathtaking in autumn—it can honestly leave you speechless.

The waterfall drops more than 300 meters down a granite cliff, and the mist sparkles beautifully in the sunlight. I originally thought “Shannon Falls” was just a pleasant-sounding name, but walking through the forest, I was completely surrounded by a distinct natural fragrance.

It’s a very unique scent: cedar and fir mixed with the moisture of the waterfall, along with a subtle sweetness from the moss. The name is said to come from a 19th-century settler, William Shannon, but I prefer to believe it was chosen by nature itself, because “Shannon” already sounds like an adjective that perfectly describes this place.

I had originally planned to skip Helmcken Falls altogether, but thankfully I came across a documentary before the trip and instantly fell in love with it. I changed my route without hesitation.

The main route from Kamloops to Jasper is already over 440 km, but I gladly added another 100 km just to visit this spectacular sight hidden deep in the mountains of British Columbia.

Driving through the layers of pristine forests in Wells Gray Provincial Park, I finally reached Canada’s fourth-highest waterfall.

Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada, sits in front of what feels like an enormous stone wall-like mountain range. The photos really don’t do it justice.

The water here is glacial melt, and because it carries a high amount of rock flour (fine glacial sediment), the waterfall appears almost milky white.

The area is extremely remote—there’s no signal, and even on maps it feels hard to fully grasp where you are. On the drive in, I was honestly a bit worried it might be one of those “sketchy” or underwhelming spots.

Yoho National Park in British Columbia hides so many surprises, and this time I came specifically for Wapta Falls.

From the parking lot, it’s about a 2.5 km walk to the waterfall. The trail is so easy it feels more like a scenic stroll than a hike. Along the way, we even spotted a huge tree burl (photo 5), and kept walking quite a distance while thinking, this waterfall isn’t actually that close.

Then suddenly, we heard the sound of rushing water—and the scale of the falls hit us hard. That’s exactly the kind of place where the word “worth it” only really makes sense once you’ve walked there yourself.

If nature had a wedding, then the bride’s veil would be hidden right here.

Deep in the valley of Chilliwack, the waterfall gently flows down from the cliffs above. The mist spreads softly through the air, dreamlike and delicate, like a white veil draped over the lush green forest.

You can simply search “Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park” to navigate directly to the parking lot. Parking is free. Note that the parking lot is a one-way loop, so do not drive against the flow. It’s about a 1.5-hour drive from Vancouver.

Pemberton • Nairn Falls

Our destination for this trip was Pemberton. Driving north from Vancouver, passing Whistler and continuing for another 20 minutes or so, you’ll arrive at the small town of Pemberton. It feels like a more low-key version of Banff—much quieter and more affordable.

With half a day to spare, we chose to visit Nairn Falls, located between Whistler and Pemberton. From the parking lot, it’s a 1.5 km walk along the Green River to reach the falls. The river is fed by glacial meltwater, carrying sediments from the Rocky Mountains. The minerals mix into the water, giving it a milky green color—like milk with a hint of green paint stirred in.

Drove out from Langley for this one so it was nearly two hours in the car before we even got close to Squamish, first stop was Porteau Cove just to get out and stretch our legs, it's apparently a pretty well known camping spot and honestly standing there I was already thinking I should try and book a site next year, waking up with the ocean right there sounds like the dream.

Second stop was lunch, a burger place right off the highway, you have to pick your flavour first and then your sauce and toppings, if you don't pick you just don't get any. Overall it wasn't that impressive. The latte was worse than my local coffee shop back home so I'm only giving this one a 5 out of 10, wouldn't go out of my way for it again but it did the job.

Then it was on to the falls. There are two paths, left is free and right is paid, we took the free one, obviously. Not great for babies or older people, a couple of the tree root steps near the end were a bit slippery, but younger kids and anyone reasonably fit will have zero problems. Trail's short, under 2km there and back, and if you're only going to see the falls and skip the second lookout by the creek it's actually under 1km each way. Path was in good condition and there's salmonberry growing right along it that you can just pick and eat as you walk, which the kids thought was the best part honestly. There's a sign at the trailhead warning that bears do show up in the area, didn't see one, just made a bit of noise going through.