[VIDEOS] Best Waterfalls in Canada: 13 Refreshing Beauties!

How do you satisfy your craving to be out in nature when you’re stuck at home? Compile a bunch of videos showing off the BEST waterfalls in Canada … from coast to coast and the beauties in between! Here are my 13 favorites.

13 BEST waterfalls in Canada, with videos — Save me for later.

Canada has SO many stunning waterfalls. And while many “best of” lists rank Canada’s waterfalls by height, I look for style … Crazy turbulence. Cool carvings through the gorge. Or a soft, graceful fall over a smoothed cliff face. I LOVE drama.

These waterfall videos are a treat. Some are short and simple, with the sights and sounds to imagine the mist in your face. Others are incredible drone videos, lifting you to stunning aerial views. And others are really fun compilations with music and spins.

Enjoy!

1. Kakabeka Falls, Ontario

I’m starting off this list of the best waterfalls in Canada with my current favorite: Kakabeka Falls in Northern Ontario. It’s along the Kaministiquia River about half an hour west of Thunder Bay and Lake Superior. Access it along the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 17).

Kakabeka Falls is known as the Niagara of the North. It’s a 131-foot (40-meter) plunge with a well-maintained wooden boardwalk through forested areas on both sides (most of it accessible). Cross over the top along the pedestrian bridge for more great views and to access the hiking trails, visitor center and campground.

While you’re visiting Kakabeka Falls, follow the Hydro Dam Road north a few minutes to a nice playground and calm swimming area. Some call it a beach, but it’s more like dirt. Kids will get filthy but it’s a lot of fun. There’s a wash-off fountain and decent toilet facilities.

If you’re visiting Northern Ontario, you should also check out my best-of hikes! The super-fun Pigeon River near Lake Superior and the Cascades near Thunder Bay.

Here’s my short introductory video of Kakabeka Falls.

2. Niagara Falls, Ontario

Of COURSE Niagara Falls has to make the list of best waterfalls in Canada. It’s the most famous and one of the WORLD’s most beautiful waterfalls.

At 167 feet (51 meters), Canada’s Horseshoe Falls is the tallest of the three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. American Falls is 110 feet (34 meters) tall, and Bridal Veil Falls has a 78-foot drop (24 meters) before hitting the boulders below.

Every minute, 60 tons of dissolved minerals flow over the Niagara Falls. These minerals give the Niagara River its vivid green color.

This video from TheMiyaworld gives you fantastic aerial views of Niagara Falls’ Horseshoe Falls. And the zillions of tourists don’t interfere with the view!

Interested in seeing Niagara Falls for yourself? Check out Romantic Hotels in Ontario and Upper New York State USA.

3. Chutes Sainte Anne, Quebec

Along the Sainte-Anne-du-Nord River in Quebec is this incredible 243-foot drop (74 meters) into the narrow Canyon Sainte-Anne.

Canyon Sainte-Anne has some beautiful hiking trails and three suspension bridges that take you around the canyon and waterfall for lots of fantastic views. Or, try something more adventurous, like a rock climb, zipline (woohoo!!) and wire walk (yikes!).

Or … kayak down Chutes Sainte Anne??

This video from Francis Valiquette is SO COOL!! Talk about epic. Kayaking down these chutes is definitely for the experienced. For those of us NOT experienced, we can watch from the bridge above!

You may also like Quebec Getaways for Couples.

4. Clarendon Brook Falls, New Brunswick

Our list of the best waterfalls in Canada now takes us over to New Brunswick and a beautiful little brook. Clarendon Brook Falls has carved out quite a fascinating channel of twists and turns. There are two impressive plunges, both about 65 feet (20 meters); the first can be seen from the bridge above, and the second is a half-kilometer hike upstream.

If you’d like to see it for yourself, use the GPS coordinates from Oromocto River Watershed (I couldn’t find it on Google Maps). From Highway 101, access a path that follows the left side of the brook. And keep to the path, as the area is private land.

Now, this video by Micheal Stemm is a fun tribute to this pretty area. I don’t typically like music, people and funky spins in my waterfall videos, but he really shows off this beautiful area.

5. Egypt Falls, Nova Scotia

Now we head over to Nova Scotia and the lovely Cape Breton Island. This island’s world-renown scenery has some breathtaking waterfalls. My favorite is Egypt Falls.

Just a little ways from the famous Cabot Trail is the elegant Egypt Falls. It’s a wide waterfall with two main drops and at the end of a fun little hike. The hike is short and well-defined through an old-growth forest; but it’s steep, and has ropes to hang onto as you descend (and then climb out) right at the bottom.

Egypt Falls is about 60 feet wide and only 25 feet tall. But what I LOVE about this waterfall is its two swimming pools: one at the bottom, and one right in the middle between the upper and lower falls.

If you’re visiting Cape Breton Nova Scotia, check out my post on the coolest things to do!

Here’s an artistic video of Egypt Falls by Ashley Innocente that gives you a really good sense of the area. To the left of the waterfalls is a rope to climb up to the upper pool.

6. Rattle Brook Falls, Newfoundland

Now we hop over to Newfoundland to continue our list of the best waterfalls in Canada. Newfoundland has dramatic seaside cliffs and plenty of rocky river valleys to make for incredible waterfalls.

Like Rattle Brook Falls … with an impressive 800-foot (244-meter) drop. The best time to visit is after a good rain.

To visit Rattle Falls yourself, hike up a well-kept trail (with lots of stairs) from Bonavista Highway (Route 230). You can see a small waterfall from the road, but the more impressive waterfall is a short hike up. Pack a picnic and enjoy this incredible swimming spot.

Also check out Romantic Getaways in Eastern Canada.

Here’s a decent drone video of Rattle Falls from Draper Hollett.

7. Shannon Falls, British Columbia

Our list of the best waterfalls in Canada now takes us aaaall the way west! British Columbia is another province known for its stunning scenery and incredibly romantic getaways. So, it’s not surprising that we find more stunning waterfalls here.

Starting us off is Shannon Falls. At 1,099 feet (335 meters), Shannon Falls is the province’s third tallest waterfall and plunges down granite cliff after granite cliff. It’s most impressive in spring or fall.

It’s very easy to access for yourself. Shannon Falls is two kilometers south of Squamish along the Sea to Sky Highway. A short, 200-meter paved path takes you to the waterfalls and more hikes in this pretty area.

Here’s a pretty cool drone video by Firefly Drone Services, showing off this beautiful waterfall.

8. Helmcken Falls, British Columbia

Helmcken Falls is SO cool! It’s a powerful free-fall of 463 feet (141 meters) over Murtle Plateau’s western escarpment into a massive canyon below. The area was once covered in layers of lava, and then flooded at the end of the last ice age to create the canyon.

Helmcken Falls is in Wells Gray Park in northern British Columbia. There’s a viewing platform along the rim of the canyon. If you visit in person, you can breath in the crisp misty air and marvel at the sheer drop and depth of the canyon below you.

Check out this drone video by Bun Lee. That view directly above the falls is incredible! (Researching these waterfall videos sure makes me want to get a drone!)

9. Bridal Veils Falls, British Columbia

Aptly named for its elegant and delicate drop over a smooth, wide rock face, Bridal Veils Falls in British Columbia is romantic and refreshing! Although Bridal Veils Falls is 400 feet (122 meters) tall, you can only really see the bottom half because of the steepness of the cliff above you.

Bridal Veil Falls is most lovely in the spring and after a heavy rain. It’s closed in winter because the waterfall becomes a wall of dangerous ice.

Visiting Bridal Veil Falls is easy, as it’s right along the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) just east of Chilliwack. The 15-minute walk is also easy, and takes you past pretty foliage and likely wildlife sightings. For more adventure, nearby Mount Cheam is a popular hang-gliding and paragliding site with epic views of the waterfall below.

Check out this great video of Bridal Veil Falls from Outdoor Vancouver.

10. Tangle Creek Falls, Alberta

Now our list of the best waterfalls in Canada takes us to my home province of Alberta. And the BEST place to see spectacular waterfalls in Alberta is the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Tangle Creek Falls is my #1 favorite waterfall in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. And if you blink, you’ll fly right past it …

Tangle Creek Falls is located right beside the Icefield Parkway. It’s 7 kilometers north of the Columbia Icefield Center and just south of the Sunwapta Valley pull-out. The waterfall is on the northbound side, but unfortunately parking is only on the southbound side. So, you’ll often see cars parked on the northbound shoulder and people running across the road … and the winding road doesn’t give you a ton of warning. Be careful in this area!

Tangle Creek Falls is a gorgeous cascading waterfall. It drops 114 feet and then 14, 18 and 13 feet along cascading tiers.

It was hard to find a good quality video that had the angle I wanted to show you. This one by CHaRM Guinto is cute, and shows the view of the waterfalls right from the Icefields Parkway.

11. Sunwapta Falls, Alberta

One of the best waterfalls in Canada and among my favorites along the Icefields Parkway is Sunwapta Falls. Sunwapta Falls is 2.5 hours north of Banff and 40 minutes south of Jasper.

Stand on the wooden bridge over the gorge as the narrow 30-foot (9-meter) waterfall plunges 60 feet (18 meters) below you. First, about 8 meters through a crack in the rock bed, and then it constricts even more and shoots out another 10 meters to the canyon below. Sunwapta Falls is fed by the Athabasca Glacier, and is a class 6 waterfall based on its high volume of water. The best time to visit Sunwapta Falls is in late spring when there’s a lot of snowpack runoff.

Continue a short easy hike (1.3 km or .8 miles) to the lower falls. It’s a nice woodsy trail that takes you to a set of three smaller waterfalls.

Here’s my super-short video capturing a bit of my awe! I took this on my amazing solo drive from Calgary to Jasper.

12. Athabasca Falls, Alberta

About half an hour south of Jasper is this super-gorgeous waterfall. Athabasca Falls is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Canada, with its enchanting blue hue and stunning mountain backdrop. The Athabasca River tumbles over layers of hard quartzite and through softer limestone below, carving a short gorge along its path.

Although Athabasca Falls is only a 75-foot drop (23 meters), it’s one of the most powerful in the Canadian Rocky Mountains because of the size of the Athabasca River. Paths over and along the gorge give you multiple angles to enjoy the waterfalls.

This video from Tom Samworth gives you lots of views to appreciate the waterfalls. You get a glimpse of that famous blue at about 2:25, but its power and grace throughout!

13. Alexandra Falls, Northwest Territories

Now, I’m going to take you WAY up north. What’s incredible about venturing to the Northwest Territories is that you can get right up to the edge of massive waterfalls.

About an hour north of the Alberta border is the impressive Alexandra Falls. The landscape is very flat, so the wide 105-foot (32-meter) drop is quite incredible. Now, the Hay River is a rather muddy river, so it isn’t as picturesque as those in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. But, here you can dip your toe in. Like, right in where the waterfall takes its plunge.

While in the area, you should also check out Louise Falls (just north of Alexandra Falls) and Lady Evelyn Falls (along the clearer Kakisa River). They’re less impressive than Alexandra, but still very pretty. Plus, there’s a nice campground beside Lady Evelyn.

This video from Jim Baird shows off Alexandra Falls. And proves that you can get right to the edge where the water falls over the edge … crazy!! I was quickly disoriented and had to back away.