Hunlen Falls, Waterfall in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.
Hunlen Falls drops 260 m (850 ft) at a 90-degree pitch from the north end of Turner Lake via Hunlen Creek into the Atnarko River, a tributary of the Bella Coola River, in the Pacific Ranges of British Columbia. Erosion of the canyon below the falls has built an alluvial fan into the Atnarko Valley. It is tied with Takakkaw Falls for the fourth tallest single drop in Canada.
The falls were named in 1947 after Hana-lin, a Chilcotin chief who fished below them each autumn with a fish trap and set traps for game nearby. Earlier names included Bella Coola Falls and, in the 1930s, Mystery Falls.
The falls were named in 1947 after Hana-lin, a Chilcotin chief who set fish traps below the drop each autumn and trapped game nearby. Earlier names were Mystery Falls in the 1930s and, before that, Bella Coola Falls. The name preserves a record of how the site was used.
You can reach the falls by floatplane from Nimpo Lake in roughly 20 minutes or hike the trail from Highway 20, which takes several hours. Pack appropriate footwear and rain gear regardless of which route you choose.
The 2004 Atnarko fire, started by lightning on the ridge between Turner and Lonesome Lakes, burned into August and destroyed the Edwards and Turner homesteads, including Ralph Edwards' "The Birches" cabin occupied from 1912. The flames reached the south side of Turner Lake up to the falls.
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