Pyramid Creek Falls Provincial Park is a
provincial park
Ischigualasto Provincial Park
A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...
in
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
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 ...
, located on the east side of the
North Thompson River
The North Thompson River is the northern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the toe of the Thompson Glacier in the Premier Range of the Cariboo Mou ...
between the towns of
Blue River (S) and
Valemount
Valemount () is a village municipality of 1,018 people in east central British Columbia, Canada, from Kamloops, British Columbia. It is between the Rocky, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. It is the nearest community to the west of Jasper Natio ...
(N).
The Falls
Pyramid Creek Falls occurs where glacier-fed Pyramid Creek tumbles out of a
hanging valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
& into the North Thompson River. The falls are, in total, about 300 feet high & drop that distance in 2 large drops. The second & largest of the 2 drops fans out near the bottom in the shape of a
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
, hence its name.
Waterfalls of the Northeastern United States: Pyramid Creek Falls
/ref> The creek, after dropping over the falls, flows under the railway tracks
A railway track (British English and International Union of Railways, UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a Rail transport, railway or railroad consisting of ...
& joins the North Thompson.
Access
Access to the falls and its respective park is difficult. The falls and park are located on the opposite side of the river from Highway 5
Route 5, or Highway 5, may refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* Asian Highway 5
* European route E05
* European route E005
Argentina
* National Route 5
Australia New South Wales
* M5 Motorway (Sydney)
* The De ...
, forcing most visitors to settle for views of the falls from across the river. However, passengers on Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
trains (most notably '' The Canadian'') are able to get a close-up view of the falls as the train track run past the falls. The approach to the falls is announced by a crew member when approached from both east and west and the train slows down to allow passengers a better view.
References
Provincial parks of British Columbia
Thompson Country
Waterfalls of British Columbia
1996 establishments in British Columbia
Protected areas established in 1996
{{British Columbia parks