Lineham Falls

Lineham Falls spills over a high headwall in a hanging valley between Mount Lineham and Mount Blakiston. The signed viewpoint is the end of a moderate 9 km return hike, with about 350 m of climbing and a three-hour estimate. It leaves you below and some distance from the falls; getting closer means leaving the maintained trail for rough, unmaintained ground. For most hikers, the signed viewpoint is the sensible goal.

The trailhead is on the right as you drive about 9 km along Akamina Parkway from Waterton townsite. The route climbs through forest, opens onto a hillside between the two peaks, follows Lineham Creek and returns to forest before ending among boulders at a small trail sign. A roadside parking area serves the trailhead and can fill on busy days. Pack water and a snack for the outing.

From the signed endpoint, look for the cascades on the headwall between Mount Lineham and Mount Blakiston. Include the boulders in the foreground to show the scale of the cliff and the basin. The closer approach goes over rough, exposed scree beyond the maintained route; the official viewpoint does not require that scramble.

Three Lineham Lakes sit in the hanging basin above the headwall and feed the falls, but the lakes are out of sight from the endpoint. Snowmelt usually brings the strongest flow in spring; later in the season the waterfall can dwindle considerably.

The hike passes through forest affected by the 2017 Kenow wildfire, then into greener trees and open slopes. The shift between shaded creekside sections and the exposed hillside makes the approach feel like more than a walk to a single viewpoint.