Crescent Falls | |
---|---|
Location | Clearwater County, Alberta |
Coordinates | 52°23′14″N116°21′21″W / 52.3873°N 116.3557°W |
Type | Tiered |
Total height | 27 m (89 ft) |
Number of drops | 2 |
Watercourse | Bighorn River |
Crescent Falls is a series of two waterfalls located on the Bighorn River in the Bighorn River Canyon in west-central Alberta, Canada. They were originally called the Bighorn Falls, after the river they are located on. [1] The current name is a reference to the crescent cliff over which they drop. [1]
The falls are located a few kilometres upstream of the river's confluence with the North Saskatchewan River. A 4.5-kilometre-long (2.8 mi) gravel road leads north from David Thompson Highway (between Abraham Lake and Nordegg) to the falls. The Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area is immediately up-river from the falls. [2]
The waterfall is two-tiered and has a height of 27 metres (89 ft). [3] Visitors are allowed at the waterfalls year-round. [4] The rock ledges around the top of the falls are slippery [1] and fatal drops have occurred. [5] Additionally, people have died by being swept under the waterfall after swimming at the bottom of the falls. [6]
Arthur Philemon Coleman, a professor of geology at the University of Toronto, made the first mention of the falls in 1892 and described them as having a "far better scenery than we had been used to in the foot-hills". [7]
A sitting bench next to the falls is dedicated to James Hammond and placed there by his family after his death. Hammond was an avid outdoorsman and was especially fond of this location. [7]
Located to the north-west of Crescent Falls, is an un-serviced campground run by Westward Bound Campgrounds. It currently has 31 available sites to camp on, and is open from May 1 to October 14. The site has access to water; however, due to potential contamination from pathogens in ground water, the owners recommend that visitors bring their own drinking water. [8] [9]
The time it takes to travel to Crescent Falls and back is about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Access to the area below the first waterfall of Crescent Falls has been restricted, mostly due to unsafe travel conditions and thin ice. [10]
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a national recreation area established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is one of over 420 sites managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The recreation area spans 120,296.22 acres, straddling the border between Wyoming and Montana. It is divided into two distinct areas, the North District accessed via Fort Smith, Montana and the South District accessed through Lovell, Wyoming. There is no thru road inside the recreation area connecting the two districts. The Yellowtail Dam is located in the North District. It is named after the famous Crow leader Robert Yellowtail, harnesses the waters of the Bighorn River by turning that variable watercourse into Bighorn Lake. The lake extends 71 miles (114 km) through Wyoming and Montana, 55 miles (89 km) of which lie within the national recreation area. The lake provides recreational boating, fishing, water skiing, kayaking, and birding opportunities to visitors. About one third of the park unit is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. Nearly one-quarter of the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range lies within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
Mount Robson Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km2. The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 1913, the same year as the first ascent of Mount Robson by a party led by Conrad Kain. It is the second oldest park in the provincial system. The park is named for Mount Robson, which has the highest point in the Canadian Rockies and is located entirely within the park.
Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Covering an area of approximately 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi), Kananaskis Country was formed by the Alberta Government in 1978 to provide an assortment of land uses and designations. Land uses include resource extraction activities, recreation, power generation, and residential communities. Land designations include public land and protected areas.
Willmore Wilderness Park, in Alberta, Canada, is a 4,600-square-kilometre (1,800 sq mi) wilderness area adjacent to Jasper National Park. It is lesser known and less visited than Jasper National Park. There are no public roads, bridges or buildings. There are, however, several ranger cabins in the park that are available as a courtesy to visitors.
Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario, covering about 1,550 square kilometres (600 sq mi) along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Ontario Highway 17 now runs through the park. When the park was established by Ontario in 1944, there was no road access.
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Hamber Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located 130 kilometres (80.7 mi) north of Golden. Straddling the Great Divide on the provincial boundary with Alberta, the park is surrounded on three sides by Jasper National Park and protects the headwaters of the Wood River at Fortress Lake.
Monkman Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, southwest of Tumbler Ridge and northeast of Hansard. Like Monkman Pass, Monkman Lake, Monkman Creek and Monkman Falls, it was named after Alexander Monkman.
Nairn Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada located on the Green River adjacent to British Columbia Highway 99 and the Canadian National Railway line just south of Pemberton and less than twenty minutes north of the resort town of Whistler. The 170 hectare park was established in 1966, shortly after the highway's opening, to protect and enhance visitor access to Nairn Falls.
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park is a provincial park covering parts of the eastern Kitimat Ranges, northern Pacific Ranges, and the Rainbow Range in British Columbia, Canada. It was established on May 21, 1938 in the western interior of the province, to protect its important natural features. The park hosts a variety of recreation activities for visitors. This park encompasses a range of diverse species in this park including bears, moose, and various fish. There are also a few at risk species in this park.
Sheep River Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada, 23 kilometres (14 mi) west of Diamond Valley on highway 546. It is part of the Kananaskis Country park system and encompasses a portion of the Sheep River valley.
Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River in western Alberta, Canada.
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Brazeau Reservoir is a large man made reservoir in Alberta, Canada.
Gleniffer Lake also known as Gleniffer Reservoir or originally Lake Gleniffer is an artificial lake in central Alberta, Canada created in 1983 by the construction of the Dickson Dam which impounded the Red Deer River, a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River which flows into the Saskatchewan River Basin.
Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fifth largest provincial park, after Tweedsmuir, Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Northern Rocky Mountains.
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