Walking guide
Exploring Wells Gray Park: The Complete Roads and Trails Guide to Canada's Waterfalls Park
Roland Neave · 2015
The standard guide to Wells Gray, with every road and trail to Helmcken Falls and the park's many other waterfalls.
Canada · British Columbia
Wapta Falls
Wapta Falls is a waterfall of the Kicking Horse River located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest waterfall of the Kicking Horse River, at about 18 metres high and 107 metres wide.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Wapta Falls drops 18 metres (59 ft) on the Kicking Horse River. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake), Canada. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Wapta Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake) are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotographyWildlife & safari
When to go
Snowmelt-driven: April to June is the big-water window, and some falls almost disappear by late summer.
Getting there
- Base town Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake), Canada
- Country Canada
- Region British Columbia, Northern North America, North America
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Wapta Falls
Canada
Height18 mWidth—
Most similar
Inglis Falls
Canada
Height18 mWidth—
Also a cascade waterfall, of similar height and in Canada too
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
18 m
18 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
Wapta FallsInglis FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Angel Falls is 54× taller than Wapta Falls. Victoria Falls is 6.0× taller. We don't have a reliable crest width for Wapta Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
Guidebook
Moon British Columbia
Andrew Hempstead · 2018
Province-wide BC guide covering Wells Gray, Vancouver Island and Yoho for planning a multi-region trip.
Guidebook
Lonely Planet Canada
Lonely Planet · 2024
Country-wide guide for combining Canadian falls, from Quebec and Ontario to the Rockies and the North.
On the map
51.187, -116.576
Quick answers
Where is Wapta Falls?
Wapta Falls is in Canada (British Columbia). The nearest base is Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake), Canada. Its coordinates are 51.1870, -116.5760.
How tall is Wapta Falls?
Wapta Falls drops 18 metres (59 feet). It is a cascade-type waterfall on the Kicking Horse River.
When is the best time to visit Wapta Falls?
Peak flow is April to June. Snowmelt-driven: April to June is the big-water window, and some falls almost disappear by late summer.
What can you do at Wapta Falls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking, photography and wildlife & safari. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Wapta Falls?
The usual base is Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake), Canada. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
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Ice climbing
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