Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park is a BC Park located on the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

just east of Rosedale,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, part of the City of Chilliwack. The community of Bridal Falls is located adjacent to the falls and park as well as the interchange between the Trans-Canada and BC Highway 9 and has a variety of highway-based tourism services. Access to the falls requires a short hike from the parking lot and well groomed trails, taking most groups 15-25 minutes. This Park is named after the waterfall that it encompasses, the 38th highest

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

, Bridal Veil Falls, however it is commonly stated incorrectly as the 4th tallest in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The falls drop 122 metres (400 feet) over a wide rock face, creating a "veil-like" effect, however, only the bottom 200–250 feet can clearly be viewed from the base, due to the viewing-points' location directly at the base. It is located at the south end of the land set aside as provincial Park. Its source is from

Mount Archibald Mount Archibald is a prominent mountain summit located in the Kluane Ranges of the Saint Elias Mountains in Yukon, Canada. The mountain is situated west of Haines Junction, south of Mount Decoeli, and east-southeast of Mount Cairnes, which i ...

and flows into Bridal Creek where it travels to Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park and finally to the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

. During drier summer months, the volume of the water decreases significantly, reducing the visual effect of the waterfall. Bridal Veil Falls tend to freeze during cold winters and creates a wall of ice which is often unstable. Because of this, the base of the falls becomes an extremely hazardous area and the park remains closed during the winter season. When the falls does freeze solid, it is a sought-after ice climb, but it is known by climbers for its difficulty and the infrequency of stable climbing conditions. Bridal Veil Falls was named in the 19th century by the village of Popkum. In the early 20th century, the village used the waterfall with a

hydro-electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

generator to power the

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...

and heated swimming pool in the village. Only the concrete foundation of the generator can be found today.

References

*
Bridal Veil Falls
from the World Waterfall Database

External links

Bridal Veil Falls hiking trail description
Provincial parks of British Columbia Lower Mainland Waterfalls of British Columbia 1965 establishments in British Columbia Yale Division Yale Land District {{BritishColumbia-protected-area-stub

See also

References

External links