Takakkaw Falls in Mid May ??

I would wait till summer.

Johno02 wrote:
I would wait till summer.

Can't wait. Need to be other places in June.

Very likely the road is closed because it has several feet of snow on it. We passed through Yoho in April and found a tremendous amount of snow along the highway.
We went to the falls in October. No snow but still ice from winter in places.

I drove our 20 foot motorhome up to the trail. Coming down I couldn't make the turn on the hairpin curve. There is a nice turnaround right there for vehicles our size so I stopped near the edge of the cliff, flipped the gear shift to back up . . . And we started forward! It was in low gear for the descent and flipping the handle upward as usual went to drive, not reverse. I'm still alive so you know I stopped in time and made darn sure I was in reverse before trying again.

You find a parks employee and ask. If it's safe to do so..away you can go. If not...they'll tell you. You just may need a pair of snow-shoes, but again...an employee should have that info.


Gary Haupt

It'll probably still be covered in snow at that point. It's a narrow road with a pretty tough switchback, below is a video from my dash cam of the switchback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=241t6CkH6Kw

In the video I wasn't sure what the motor home was doing but later I realized he probably planned to back down... although I'm pretty sure he could have made the 3 point turn like I did.

It's worth the effort to go to the falls, if you can -- I can only imagine what they would look like during the spring thaw. The picture below was taken in late September. The rainbow in the photo looks a little better than it did in real life -- this is a time exposure (maybe a second or so?), and the colors were intensified by the camera. Also, we happened to get lucky -- we got to the falls in the late afternoon, so the sun was at a good angle.

Would it be possible to bring or rent snowshoes? I am not sure how close to the falls you can drive before they plow the access road, but if you can get within a couple of miles, the hike would not be too bad. As I recall, the valley floor is reasonably level.


Click For Full-Size Image.

Question #1) As the road is opened mid June, this would be considered winter.

#2) Are you comfortable walking 16km return on snow?

Dave

I think the issue is the fear of an avalanche. That stuff comes down hill like a freight train and it won't stop until it stops...like at the bottom the hills where the path is. And unlike a freight train...there is no warning.

Gary Haupt

Gary, if I recall correctly, most of the road to the falls does not pass under cliffs or steep hills. (I could be wrong.) . So there may not be much avalanche danger, unless you get really close to the falls themselves.

However, if it is 16 km round trip from the plowed road (as Dave indicates), that is way too far for snowshoes. My maximum on snowshoes is about 10 km per day, depending on the snow. Deep, soft powder will make it much harder. But an icy crust can be a lot better, if it does not break underfoot!

In the Sierras, we have a real problem with clumping -- the snow is so warm and wet that it packs under the claw, and pretty soon you are hiking on a bowling ball. Not fun.

profdant139 wrote:
Gary, if I recall correctly, most of the road to the falls does not pass under cliffs or steep hills. (I could be wrong.) . So there may not be much avalanche danger, unless you get really close to the falls themselves.

However, if it is 16 km round trip from the plowed road (as Dave indicates), that is way too far for snowshoes. My maximum on snowshoes is about 10 km per day, depending on the snow. Deep, soft powder will make it much harder. But an icy crust can be a lot better, if it does not break underfoot!

In the Sierras, we have a real problem with clumping -- the snow is so warm and wet that it packs under the claw, and pretty soon you are hiking on a bowling ball. Not fun.

Look up the area on Google maps just past the switch back below Wapta MT. A gajillion avalanche paths cross the road and also just before the falls. This is big snow country where the snow from avalanches last well into the summer. All of these areas are well used by experienced back country skiiers all winter and spring to access the higher elevations. An easy trip done by thousands during the summer and fall would present a big challenge for even very fit and experienced skier/snowshoers when the road is snow bound.

Dave