Hunlen Falls - Canada's 3rd Highest Waterfall

Table of Contents

Breathtaking is the only word that can remotely describe the beauty of Hunlen Falls in remote Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the West Chilcotin area of British Columbia. It’s Canada’s third highest waterfall but only a handful of people have the pleasure of seeing it every year.

The falls in a magnificent setting — The falls are in a magnificent setting

This post includes some affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you very much for your support.

Hunlen Falls height

Almost no one has ever heard of Hunlen Falls – and nor do they realize that these waterfalls are Canada’s third highest – plunging 1,316 feet (401 m). In fact, they are the highest waterfalls in Canada IF you measure as a continuous unbroken drop.

For comparison’s sake consider Niagara Falls. It turns out they plunge a measly 51 m (167 feet) – give or take a few feet depending if you’re on the American or Canadian side. Granted their volume is considerably greater.

Canoeists will want to stay well away from the last little inlet

Topography of the falls area — Topography of the Hunlen Falls area

The Turner Lake chain is excellent for canoeing

The best way to see Hunlen Falls is via floatplane

It’s a 20-minute flight from Nimpo Lake – the float plane capital of British Columbia. If you have time, you can land on Turner Lake and take the 1-km trail to the lookout. In hindsight, I wish we’d one that.

Gorgeous view of Turner Lakes with the falls in the bottom right corner — Gorgeous view of Turner Lakes with Hunlen Falls in the bottom right corner

If you hike to Hunlen Falls here’s what you need to know

Alternatively you can hike to Hunlen Falls. But take a look at the photos and can see how heavily treed the area is. That means there isn’t much in the way of a view until you reach the falls. That’s not my favourite type of hiking.

Read: The 10 Hiking Essentials Everyone Should Carry

The trail to Hunlen Falls is 16.4 km one way with a vertical raise of 800 m (2625 feet). It’s a great trail if you like counting switchbacks. There are 78 of them.

Plan to take 6-9 hours one way so unless you’re a super-fast hiker, you’ll have to backpack into Turner Lake and spend the night. Backcountry fees apply – usually $5 per person per night in cash.

The trail starts at the parking lot from an old tote road 12 km in from Highway 20. You need a 4 X 4 vehicle to access it.

Stillwater Lake, 4 km in from the trailhead, is the last source of drinking water before you reach Turner Lake. Fill your water bottles here.

There may be a lot of trees down, especially because of deadfalls from a pine bark beetle infestation.

This area is famous for its grizzly and black bears. In fact Tweedsmuir Park recommends hiking the first 3 km of the trail between late morning and early afternoon to avoid them.

From Turner Lake you can access several days’ worth of high alpine hiking including the Panorama Loop Trails and the trail to Ptarmigan Lake. Be sure to bring a good map and compass or GPS. I’d also recommend a Garmin InReach Mini should you have an emergency. As you may have guessed this hike is rated difficult.

For more information visit the Tweedsmuir Provincial Park website.