5 Frozen Waterfalls in BC You Can Walk To in Winter

Most waterfalls around here are a summer outing. A handful stay open after the snow arrives, and cold snaps turn them into something else. Ice builds in the rock around the drop. Spray freezes on the trees. At Helmcken Falls, a cone of ice grows at the base all season.

The places below are the ones with winter access and a short walk from where you park. They run from the Sea to Sky to the Shore and up to Wells Gray Park near Clearwater. Each section covers what you’ll see, how far you walk, where to park and what the officials want you to know.

Not every one freezes solid. Some ice up at the edges and some only in a proper cold snap. The write-ups say which is which, so you know what to expect before you load the car.

What the ice actually looks like

Falls	Height	Winter ice	Source
Shannon	335 m above Hwy 99	Ice at the edges in cold snaps; full freeze not documented	BC Parks
Nairn	60 m	Ice builds inside the granite chasm	BC Parks; Destination Vancouver
Helmcken	141 m	Ice cone grows at the base through the season	CBC; Tourism Wells Gray
Dawson	Not listed	Flanked by ice and snow	Tourism Wells Gray
Twin Falls	Not listed	Sometimes frozen, in cold snaps	Destination Vancouver

5. Twin Falls (Lynn Canyon, North Vancouver)

Twin Falls is the closest to home, in Lynn Canyon Park on the Shore. It only sometimes freezes. That’s the honest version. Ice forms here only in a cold snap, so time your visit to a few days below freezing.

A bridge crosses the canyon above the falls. The suspension bridge reopened on Dec 22, 2025. Updates are on the DNV park upgrades page.

DNV told CBC the park gets about half a million visitors a year, which makes winter weekdays the quiet time. Winter is also when parking is free. Pay parking ($3/hr, 4-hour max) runs only from March 1 to October 31. The park is open dawn to dusk, and the parking lot gates are open 7 am to 6 pm (closing times change seasonally). The Ecology Centre, run by DNV Parks, has visit details.

DNV has warned that winter trails here can be covered in snow and ice. The Twin Falls section has a lot of stairs. Bring traction.

4. Shannon Falls (Squamish)

Shannon Falls drops off the cliffs right beside Highway 99. BC Parks says it rises 335 m above the highway. That makes it the third-highest waterfall in BC, behind Della Falls and Hunlen Falls. You don’t have to earn it. An easy 350 m trail follows Shannon Creek through hemlock, Douglas fir and cedar to the viewpoint.

Set your expectations for winter. Destination Vancouver lists Shannon among the falls that only sometimes ice up, during a proper cold snap. A full freeze isn’t something any official source promises. The falls are known as Kwékwetxwm and hold particular significance for the Squamish people, according to Tourism Squamish. The park itself came from a brewery. Carling O’Keefe bought the land in 1976 and donated it to BC Parks in 1982.

The park stays open in winter with reduced services. BC Parks says access may be limited by snowfall, so check before you drive up. It sits 58 km north of Vancouver and 2 km south of Squamish, so it pairs easily with a day in town.

BC Parks warns that trail and stair treads get slippery in winter. Wear traction and watch the cliffs for falling ice. Stay on the trail and inside the viewing area.

3. Nairn Falls (Pemberton)

Nairn Falls is 60 m high, and BC Parks calls it a dramatic example of the erosive power of water. The Green River has carved a granite chasm here. In winter, Destination Vancouver says ice builds up inside it. The walk in is 1.5 km beside the river. Part of the route is the traditional route the Lil’wat Nation used to reach the falls and Mount Currie.

The park was established in 1966. Winter day use is newer. It began as a pilot in the 2020-21 season, and by 2022 BC Parks had stopped calling it a pilot. During the 2020-21 pilot the day-use lot was plowed and open Tuesday to Sunday, and Pique reported that the pilot’s hours carried over in 2022. Nobody has confirmed plowing for this winter yet. BC Parks hasn’t posted its 2026-27 winter dates yet, so check the Nairn Falls park page before you go.

It’s off Highway 99, about 92 km north of Squamish and 32 km north of Whistler, just south of Pemberton. BC Parks says to allow at least an hour for the 3 km round trip. Overnight parking in the day-use area isn’t allowed.

This one needs care with kids. BC Parks says children need close supervision because the river is fast and cold and the trail has steep banks and drop-offs. The groomed tracks are for cross-country skiing only, so walk on the trail and leave the tracks alone.

2. Dawson Falls (Wells Gray Park)

Dawson is the wide one. Tourism Wells Gray describes it as a smaller version of Niagara. The Murtle River spreads out and drops over lava beds that are 200,000 years old. In winter the falls are flanked by ice and snow.

It’s on Clearwater Valley Road between Clearwater and the Helmcken turnoff, so you pass it on the way in. On the same drive you cross the one-lane bridge at Mushbowl Falls. Stop at Dawson first and you’ve seen two waterfalls before lunch.

Parking is the catch. BC Parks says winter parking here is limited. Tourism Wells Gray’s winter guide says to park at the commercial bus pullout. From there the Dawson Falls South trail is 500 m, according to BC Parks.

Since winter parking is limited, stick to the short trail from there rather than trying to reach the falls from the campground side.

1. Helmcken Falls (Wells Gray Park)

This is the big one. Tourism Wells Gray calls Helmcken the fourth-tallest waterfall in Canada, and CBC puts the drop at 141 m. In winter the spray freezes into an ice cone at the base. It keeps growing through the season, so the later you go, the more ice you’ll see.

Getting to the edge takes almost no walking. BC Parks says the road to Helmcken is open year-round. Tourism Wells Gray says it’s maintained all winter as far as the falls, 46 km up Clearwater Valley Road, and the parking lot and platform are cleared all winter. The falls are viewed from a platform beside the parking lot. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the platform.

It’s a long drive. The route runs from Vancouver through Kamloops and Clearwater. Past Helmcken, the road to Clearwater Lake and the upper Corridor is gated and closed in winter, so Helmcken is the end of the line.

Parking was reduced from Aug 31 through fall 2026 for lot upgrades. Check the current Wells Gray advisories before you set out. The Rim Trail is a moderate 8 km round trip with no barriers along the canyon. If you’re here for a look, stay on the platform.

How far is Wells Gray?

Leg	Time
Vancouver → Kamloops	about 4 hours
Kamloops → Clearwater	1 hr 25 min
Clearwater → Helmcken Falls

When to go

Ice needs cold. On the Shore and the Sea to Sky, that means waiting for a cold snap and going in the days after. Wells Gray is colder and more reliable, and the Helmcken ice cone keeps building as the season goes on. Days are short, so start early and plan to be back at the car before dark.

Driving there

• Squamish RCMP say winter tires or chains are required on the Sea to Sky from October 1 to March 31. The Province says requirements run to April 30 on most designated routes and end March 31 only on select lower routes, so follow the road signs.
• The mandatory zone starts just north of Horseshoe Bay.
• Heading to Wells Gray, you need winter tires on the Coquihalla and Highway 5 too, so check conditions before you leave. Tourism Wells Gray posts current travel info for the park road.

What to bring

• Traction for your boots. Stairs and trail treads ice over.
• Layers. Spray and shade make waterfall viewpoints colder than the parking lot.
• Water.
• A headlamp, because winter daylight is short.
• For Wells Gray, enough to be self-sufficient. Tourism Wells Gray asks winter visitors to come prepared.

Safety and etiquette

Stay off the ice. Creeks and pools may not be as frozen as they look. Keep away from the base of icy falls. BC Parks warns that frozen Bridal Veil Falls forms an unstable wall of ice that makes the base extremely hazardous, and the same caution applies at every stop here. Stay on trails and behind fences. At Nairn Falls, overnight parking in the day-use area isn’t allowed.

Left out on purpose

• Bridal Veil Falls: the park is closed in winter, with the gate locked from about mid-October to early April. BC Parks warns that in cold winters an unstable wall of ice forms and the base of the falls is extremely hazardous.
• Brandywine Falls: the gate is closed in the off-season, the lot isn’t plowed and parking outside the gate is prohibited.
• Sutherland Falls: the Blanket Creek gate is closed, which adds about 3 km of walking.
• Spahats Falls: the lot is closed for fall 2026.

If you want a sure thing, drive to Wells Gray and stand on the Helmcken platform. If you want a short trip, watch the forecast and hit Shannon, Nairn or Lynn Canyon after a few cold days. In both cases, bring traction, keep back from the ice and check the park page the morning you leave.

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Photo credits

• Shannon Falls Provincial Park 04.jpg by Natulive Canada, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Autumn in Nairn Falls.jpg by mpslxz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Helmcken Falls Soft (189128621).jpeg by William Redmond, CC BY 3.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• DawsonFalls.WellsGray.jpg by China Crisis, CC BY 2.5 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Twin falls waterfall in Lynn Canyon.jpg by PheobeLongneck, CC0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.