Explore Takakkaw Falls: Canada’s Second Highest Waterfall

A scenic 40 minute driver from Lake Louise is Takakkaw Falls. These are reportedly the second highest water falls in Canada at a total elevation drop of 373 meters. However, there is some debate about the exact measurement and whether this claim is true. Despite the debate, this is an easy and spectacular outing if you happen to be in Banff or Yoho National Park.

“Takakkaw” translates to “magnificent” from from Indigenous Cree, and I can say it is an apt moniker. The waters for the falls are fed by the melt-waters of the Daly Glacier. While they are active year round, the volume is highest in the Spring. The area also features several other longer hikes, if you are up to the challenge. You can check out Parks Canada for more information about these..

Practical Advice

Some practical advice. The road to the falls follows some pretty serious switchbacks. If you are in anything bigger than a camper van, you may want to reconsider. Trailers are not allowed on the road. The parking lot is large, but does fill up fast as this is a popular site. There are bathroom facilities at the parking lot, but no water or food. The hike itself is more of a walk, as you can see in the pictures below.

Photography

This is definitely a location you will want to bring your tripod. The path from the parking lot is not that far (see the map below) so weight is not a concern. Most of the exposures below were at 1/8th to 1/10th of a second to create that smoothing in the water. Your wide angle lens is also a must as you will want to capture everything from the rivers edge up to the top of the falls. Generally I do not advise the use of a polarizer with a wide angle lens but in this case a polarizer really enhances the color of the rocks, and the water as well. There is not so much sky in the frame that you have to worry about color cast changes over the field of view.

These are a few of my favorite photos from Takakkaw Falls. Prints of images in this blog are available from my on-line gallery through Pictorem. If you see an image which you like and it is not available on Pictorem, just contact me here. To save some dollars, frame your own picture. I can print a variety of sizes up to 19×13 inches. Just contact me.

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The Basic Trail Map (from All Trails)