The Athabasca River (French: rivière Athabasca) originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The impressive and scenic Athabasca Falls is located upstream about from the Jasper townsite.

In Woods Cree, the word aðapaskāw means "[where] there are plants one after another", likely a reference to the spotty vegetation along the river. The Canadian Heraldic Authority has named Athabaska Herald after the river.

History

Sekani, Shuswap, Kootenay, Salish, Stoney and Cree tribes hunted and fished along the river prior to the European colonization. David Thompson and Thomas the Iroquois travelled through the Athabasca Pass in 1811. In 1862, the Atahbasca springs area was crossed during the Cariboo Goldrush.

Heritage

This river was designated a Canadian Heritage River for its importance to the fur trade and the construction of railways and roads opening up the Canadian west, as well as for its natural heritage.

Course

Athabasca River originates at the toe of the Columbia Glacier, between Mount Columbia, Snow Dome and the Sir Winston Churchill Range, in Jasper National Park, at an altitude of approximately .

The river flows along icefields, through gorges, offers wildlife habitat on its shores and adjacent marshes. National and provincial parks were established to protect this habitats and landscapes, such as Jasper National Park, Sundance Provincial Park, Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park, Obed Lake Provincial Park, William A. Switzer Provincial Park. The river also crosses the southeast limits of Wood Buffalo National Park, where its course is marked by rapids, impeding navigation north of Fort McMurray.

The Athabasca River travels before draining into the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Lake Athabasca, south of Fort Chipewyan and Wood Buffalo National Park. From there, its waters flow north as Slave River into the Great Slave Lake, which discharges through the Mackenzie River system into the Arctic Ocean. The cumulative drainage area is .

Many communities are located on the banks of this river. Among the larger ones are Jasper, Hinton, Whitecourt, Athabasca and Fort McMurray.

Tributaries

Alberta's Rockies

• Habel Creek
• Warwick Creek
• Quincy Creek
• Chaba River
• Dragon Creek
• Sunwapta River
• Ranger Creek
• Fryatt Creek
• Lick Creek
• Geraldine Lakes
• Kerkeslin Creek
• Hardisty Creek
• Whirpool River
• Astoria River
• Portal Creek
• Wabasso Creek
• Whistlers Creek
• Tekerra Creek
• Miette River
• Pyramid Lake
• Maligne River
• Garonne Creek
• Snaring River
• Morro Creek
• Cobblestone Creek
• Corral Creek
• Jacques Creek
• Rocky River
• Snake Indian River
• Mountain Creek
• Fiddle River
• Supply Creek
• Oldhouse Creek
• Prine Creek
• Maskuta Creek

Central Alberta

• Hardisty Creek
• Fish Creek
• Cache Petotte Creek
• Tiecamp Creek
• Canyon Creek
• Ponoka Creek
• Plante Creek
• Apetowun Creek
• Obed Creek
• Oldman Creek
• Nosehill Creek
• Jackpine Creek
• Berland River
• Beaver Creek
• Marsh Head Creek
• Pine Creek
• Pass Creek
• Two Creek
• Windfall Creek
• Chickadee Creek
• Bessie Creek
• Stony Creek
• McLeod River
• Sakwatamau River

Northern Alberta

• Freeman River
• Timeu Creek
• Pembina River
• Lesser Slave River
• Lawrence Lake Creek
• Baptiste Lake Creek
• Tawatinaw River
• La Biche River
• Calling River
• McMillan Lake Creek
• Parallel Creek
• Pelican River
• House River
• Horse River
• Clearwater River
• Steepbank River
• Muskeg River
• Mackay River
• Ells River
• Firebag River
• Richardson River

Gallery

See also

• Geography of Alberta
• List of Alberta rivers

References