Takakkaw Falls

Takakkaw Falls (/ˈtækəkɔː/; also spelled Takkakaw^[1]) is a waterfall in Yoho National Park, near Field, British Columbia, in Canada. The falls have a total height of 373 metres (1,224 ft),^[1] making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada.^[3][4] The main drop of the waterfall has a height of 254 metres (833 ft).^[1]

Takakkaw Falls
Takakkaw Falls pictured in 2010
Location	Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	51°29′59″N 116°28′22″W
Type	Tiered Horsetails
Total height	302 metres (991 ft)
Number of drops	4
Longest drop	260 metres (850 ft)
Total width	46 metres (151 ft)
Average width	23 metres (75 ft)
Run	30 metres (98 ft)
Watercourse	Unnamed
Average flow rate	11 m3/s (390 cu ft/s)
[1][2]

Takakkaw Falls - Detail, in 2012

Takakkaw means "it is magnificent” in the Cree language.^[1][5][6] Despite the name's Cree origin, Indigenous people did not give the falls this name, and the Cree people did not historically inhabit this area. Rather, it was suggested as a name by Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, the head of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and officially adopted in 1904.^[6]

The falls are fed by the meltwater of the Daly Glacier, which is part of the Waputik Icefield.^[1][2][3][4] The glacier keeps the volume of the falls up during the warm summer months, and they are a tourist attraction, particularly in late spring after the heavy snow melts, when the falls are at peak condition.^[4]

Height

Various sources place the total vertical height of Takakkaw Falls between 302 m (991 ft) and 373 m (1,224 ft).^[1][2] The waterfall was formerly thought to be the tallest in Canada, but a survey in 1985 found that it is actually shorter than Della Falls on Vancouver Island.^[1] The results of that survey also concluded that the main drop of the falls is 254 metres (833 ft) high.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Takakkaw Falls pictured in 1952
• 
  Takakkaw Falls from Iceline Trail
• 
  The falls pictured in June 2016
• 
  Crepuscular rays through mist from Takakkaw Falls
• 
  Daly Glacier and Takakkaw Falls from the Iceline Trail, July 16, 2005
• 
  A rainbow over Takakkaw Falls.

See also

• List of waterfalls
• List of waterfalls in British Columbia
• List of waterfalls of Canada
• Yoho National Park
• Wapta Falls
• Della Falls