Panther Falls

Panther Falls was what Julie and I thought of as the mysterious neighbor to

As for its dimensions, it has been claimed that this waterfall is 60m tall though apparently other proclamations had it at 183m, which I doubt. In any case, there's some serious exposure to dropoffs here, and a fall here could kill you regardless.

When Julie and I went looking for this waterfall, we actually ran into a guy who had just finished his scramble to the falls and back. And it was only through his bit of advice about following his footprints (since it had snowed and the trail was covered with the stuff) was I finally successful in not only seeing this waterfall satisfactorily but also in going behind it as well! Julie stayed behind since her ankle was still bothering her at the time, and there were a couple of steep sections.

From the north side of the car park, I followed a trail of use towards the precarious (and slippery thanks to the snow) view of a tiny upper cascade spilling into a mini-gorge. Though the size wasn't particularly impressive, the noise from the water's turbulence was nothing to scoff at as one fall in there would've surely meant being swept over the main waterfall plunging to sure death.

In any case, the views were obviously not very gratifying here so I proceeded to follow the footsteps towards a rocky outcrop where there was a much more satisfying view of the falls. However, this particular spot was especially dangerous because the outcrop had snow on it, and getting a full-on view of the falls required getting as close to the outcrop's edge as possible.

Needless to say, this induced serious stomach butterflies and I probably didn't go as far as I could have given the conditions. Once again, a fall from here would've been a sheer vertical drop (most certainly to one's death).

When I had my fill of this precarious viewpoint, I returned to follow more of the footprints, which led briefly away from the waterfall and through a small thicket of forest. As mentioned earlier, there were a couple of steep sections, but they weren't terribly dangerous or something beyond what might be encountered in inclines on moderate day hikes.

Eventually, the trail switched back towards the falls where it rounded a corner that was exposed to dropoffs. It was at this corner that I was able to get a somewhat "safer" view of the profile of Panther Falls' main section than the rock outcrop above. There was even a wooden post nearby indicating that this might be more of an official trail than off-trail scramble.

Anyways, the path continued along the cliff for a few more steps eventually going into an alcove where I was pretty much behind the waterfall. During my visit, there were interesting icicles hanging from the roof of the alcove. But the thought did cross my mind whether wildlife (a grizzly perhaps?) might use this alcove as a shelter or den. Fortunately, I didn't have to find out in real-time.

From what I could tell, I couldn't figure out a safe way to descend further to the base of the waterfall (it was only after seeing the literature post mortem did I realize that getting down there was even possible?!?). And finding my way back up to the car park did involve a small bit of route finding when I suddenly lost the footprints and had to scramble back to find them.

Top down sweep of the falls and downstream scenery from a precarious vantage point on a snow-covered rock

Bottom up sweep of the falls from a precarious exposed spot on the way to the back of the falls

Left to right sweep starting from icicles and ending towards the opening on the right side of the alcove

Circular counterclockwise sweep covering the context of the alcove behind Panther Falls

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TRIP REPORTS

• September 21, 2010

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Tangle Falls
• Bridal Veil Falls
• "Sideways Falls" ("Big Bend Falls")
• Weeping Wall
• Sunwapta Falls
• Lower Sunwapta Falls

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