Photo: Contributed

Anyone who has every been to Wells Gray Provincial Park knows how spectacular the falls can be, but few have seen them in the winter.

This winter, the Spahats Creek Falls viewing platform in Wells Gray Provincial Park will be open to the public as it will be cleared and maintained as part of a pilot project to help develop winter tourism. 

“Winter tourism has always been a challenge for our area and creating winter access to key areas like Spahats Falls will help to contribute to a year-round, robust and sustainable tourism industry,” said Stephanie Molina, manager of Tourism Wells Gray.

Argo Road Maintenance will maintain road access throughout the winter as a community service donation.
“The iconic frozen waterfalls of Wells Gray Provincial Park are an important draw to potential visitors in the winter. The new winter access at Spahats Falls will ensure that visitors and locals alike will be able to enjoy this unique and spectacular sight all year-round.

"Now, visitors can more easily enjoy seeing the one of a kind ice formations at Spahats Falls — rounding out a winter frozen waterfall tour that includes the already accessible sights at Helmcken, Dawson, Mushbowl, and Moul Falls in Canada’s waterfall Park,” saiod Molina.

Throughout the winter, a portion of the road into the Spahats Falls access will be cleared; the trail and viewing platform will also be cleared and maintained to allow for safe and consistent access. Use will be measured during the winter to gauge the success of the pilot project in the hopes of seeing winter access on an ongoing basis.