Avalanche Creek Falls, Arthur's Pass

Waterfall Seasons - The Waterfall Guide

Avalanche Creek Falls is only a short stroll from the main road road running through the Arthurs Pass village, making it the easiest waterfall to access in the Arthur's Pass National Park. Arthur's Pass is only a tiny village and it starts to shut down fairly early in the evening, with very little commercial activity after dark. Fortunately one of the features in the town that remains open at night is Avalanche Creek Falls, so bring a torch, follow the dimly lit trail and take the opportunity to see the falls under very different viewing conditions. Above: Avalanche Creek Falls from the viewing platform (Order this image)

You can reach the falls from the trail behind the visitor centre or by walking up the hill next to the chapel, as described below under the Essential Information section. If you are coming up from the chapel, look out for the walking boot mounted onto a memorial stone. If you are coming from the visitor centre, you will need to cross Avalanche Creek via a little stone arch bridge. As you lean over the bridge's stone wall, the view of the cascades here is so enchanting that you might be mistaken into thinking that these are the Avalanche Creek Falls. However, the falls themselves are about 100 metres further upstream and out of view from the trail head here. Above: The cascades downstream of Avalanche Creek Falls (Order this image)

At night, the path here is through a very short but dark section of forest with only a single lamp on one of the bends, so BYO torch. A spotlight underneath the viewing platform shines up the creek gully towards the falls, about 50 metres into the distance. The forest at night is still, apart from the sound of the gently rushing water. When mist descends down onto the village it creates an eery sense of isolation, despite being quite close to the main road. You cannot access the base of the falls at night, but if you return during the day with a pair of sturdy shoes you can scramble up the creek bed during low flows to get a closer view. In winter, I found the falls fringed with ice, but the water was still flowing strongly.

Here is a quick video of the falls in winter, including a late afternoon visit, and a visit after dark when I was the only one around.

Best Time of Year to Visit:	Best Time of Day to Visit:
Streamflow data is not locally available for this river, but based on available rainfall information, there is likely to be reliable flow over the falls all year round, with flows evenly spread throughout the year.	Visit at night when the forest is dark and the falls are illuminated.

Before you head out, make sure you read the waterfall safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions. The marker indicates the approximate location of the start of the trail to the falls. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can occur with some browsers, simply refresh this web page.
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