Hunlen Falls
Encyclopedia
Hunlen Falls is a waterfall
in the Pacific Ranges
of the Coast Mountains
of British Columbia
, Canada. It is located in Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park
, west of the communities of Tatla Lake
, Kleena Kleene
and Nimpo Lake
, and east of Bella Coola
. It is the highest waterfall in Canada when measured as a continuous unbroken drop of 401 m (1,316 ft). Other waterfalls such as Della Falls
on Vancouver Island
are higher, but are of the cascading type. Hunlen Falls drops from the north end of Turner Lake via Hunlen Creek into the Atnarko River
, a tributary of the Bella Coola River
. Erosion of the canyon below Hunlen Falls has created an alluvial fan
into the Atnarko Valley.
The falls were named in 1947 after a Chilcotin Chief named Hana-lin, who used to fish below the falls in the autumn with a fish trap, and trap game nearby. In the 1930s it was sometimes called Mystery Falls and before that occasionally called Bella Coola Falls.
There is no road to Hunlen Falls. The easiest access is by float plane from Nimpo Lake, about a 20-minute flight. Planes land on Turner Lake above Hunlen Falls and the walk on a good trail takes about 30 minutes to the unfenced viewpoint on the east rim of the canyon. There is a trail to Hunlen Falls, starting from Highway #20 at the foot of the Bella Coola Hill, but it was almost impassable in 2011 due to numerous dead-falls from a pine bark beetle infestation.
Lonesome Lake is about 2 km (1.2 mi) to the east of Turner Lake, running parallel to it. It is an S-shaped lake nearly 12 km (7.5 mi) in length and visible from the cliffs at Hunlen Falls. The south end of Lonesome Lake was the site of the pioneer homestead of Ralph Edwards
, known as "The Birches", which was occupied from 1912 into 1970s. His life was made famous by the book Crusoe of Lonesome Lake.
In July 2004 lightening struck the ridge between Turner and Lonesome Lake, igniting what has become known as the Atnarko fire which burned into August. It burned the southern side of Turner Lake up to the falls, as well as destroying a number of residences including the Edwards and Turner homesteads.
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in the Pacific Ranges
Pacific Ranges
The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
of the Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada. It is located in Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Formerly part of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park it was formed from the southern portion of that park, the northern portion being redesignated Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area in order to allow...
, west of the communities of Tatla Lake
Tatla Lake, British Columbia
Tatla Lake is a small unincorporated community in the west Chilcotin area of British Columbia, Canada, located at the west end of its eponymous lake...
, Kleena Kleene
Kleena Kleene
Kleena Kleene is an unincorporated settlement and recreational community on the western end of the Chilcotin Plateau, west of Tatla Lake and northeast of One-Eye Lake. It lies in the upper reaches of the basin of the Klinaklini River, for which it is named, and which penetrates the Pacific Ranges...
and Nimpo Lake
Nimpo Lake, British Columbia
Nimpo Lake is an unincororporated community and of the Tsilhqot'in people, located on the east shore of Nimpo Lake in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on BC Highway 20.-References:*...
, and east of Bella Coola
Bella Coola
Bella Coola may refer to several things, all closely related to a geographic area within British Columbia's Central Coast:*The Nuxalk, an indigenous people of the area who in the past had been referred to as the Bella Coola...
. It is the highest waterfall in Canada when measured as a continuous unbroken drop of 401 m (1,316 ft). Other waterfalls such as Della Falls
Della Falls
Della Falls is a waterfall in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. It is widely regarded as the tallest in Canada, 440 metres , though there is some question as to whether it deserves this title .-Location:...
on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
are higher, but are of the cascading type. Hunlen Falls drops from the north end of Turner Lake via Hunlen Creek into the Atnarko River
Atnarko River
The Atnarko River is a river in the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Course:The Atnarko River flows originates at Charlotte Lake. It flows generally west for approximately , joining the Telchako River to form the Bella Coola River. For much of its length the river flows through Tweedsmuir...
, a tributary of the Bella Coola River
Bella Coola River
The Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola, which is the historic and ancient capital of the Nuxalk people, is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm...
. Erosion of the canyon below Hunlen Falls has created an alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
into the Atnarko Valley.
The falls were named in 1947 after a Chilcotin Chief named Hana-lin, who used to fish below the falls in the autumn with a fish trap, and trap game nearby. In the 1930s it was sometimes called Mystery Falls and before that occasionally called Bella Coola Falls.
There is no road to Hunlen Falls. The easiest access is by float plane from Nimpo Lake, about a 20-minute flight. Planes land on Turner Lake above Hunlen Falls and the walk on a good trail takes about 30 minutes to the unfenced viewpoint on the east rim of the canyon. There is a trail to Hunlen Falls, starting from Highway #20 at the foot of the Bella Coola Hill, but it was almost impassable in 2011 due to numerous dead-falls from a pine bark beetle infestation.
Lonesome Lake is about 2 km (1.2 mi) to the east of Turner Lake, running parallel to it. It is an S-shaped lake nearly 12 km (7.5 mi) in length and visible from the cliffs at Hunlen Falls. The south end of Lonesome Lake was the site of the pioneer homestead of Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards (homesteader)
Ralph Edwards was a pioneering British Columbian homesteader and leading conservationist of the trumpeter swan. He received the Order of Canada in 1972 for his conservation efforts, and is the namesake of the Edwards Range mountains...
, known as "The Birches", which was occupied from 1912 into 1970s. His life was made famous by the book Crusoe of Lonesome Lake.
In July 2004 lightening struck the ridge between Turner and Lonesome Lake, igniting what has become known as the Atnarko fire which burned into August. It burned the southern side of Turner Lake up to the falls, as well as destroying a number of residences including the Edwards and Turner homesteads.