This park surrounds Whitemud Falls Ecological Reserve. The two sites occupy a stretch of the steep-sided and deeply-incised Clearwater River valley, where the river has eroded into the underlying Devonian limestone and dolomites. Erosion has created a variety of karst features such as stacks (or "flowerpots"), gullies, fissures and caves. Cold mineral springs with high salt content supply water to wetlands east of falls. More than 20 rare and uncommon plant species have been recorded within the karst habitats of the area. The Clearwater River from the Alberta-Saskatchewan border to Fort McMurray was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 2004.