Dawson Falls

Dawson Falls is one of seven waterfalls on the Murtle River in Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Dawson Falls was named in 1913 by land surveyor Robert Henry Lee after George Herbert Dawson, the Surveyor-General for British Columbia from 1912-1917. Lee and his crew camped near Dawson Falls during the summers of 1913 and 1914 while they surveyed homesteaders' lots along the south side of the Murtle River. On July 24, 1913, Lee was surveying west from Dawson Falls when he discovered Helmcken Falls.

The Wells Gray Park road passes close to Dawson Falls. The main viewpoint is a 10-minute walk and it is another few minutes to the top of the waterfall. A rough trail on the north side of the Murtle River provides a different vantage point. Pyramid Campground, one of four campgrounds in Wells Gray Park, is just northeast of Dawson Falls and has 50 sites.

At Dawson Falls, the Murtle River drops over lava flows that date to about 200,000 years ago. Below the lava are compacted sand and gravel deposits left by a river that predated the eruption.