Athabasca
Athabasca is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 55.17°, -114.05°
About Athabasca
The Athabasca River (French: Rivière Athabasca) in Alberta, Canada, originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than 1,231 km (765 mi) before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in national and provincial parks, and the river is designated a Canadian heritage river for its historical and cultural importance. The scenic Athabasca Falls is located about 30 km (19 mi) upstream from Jasper.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Athabasca River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Athabasca in Depth
Course
The Athabasca River originates in Jasper National Park, in Lake Providence at the toe of the Columbia Glacier within the Columbia Icefield, between Mount Columbia, Snow Dome, and the Winston Churchill Range, at an elevation of approximately 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). It travels 1,231 km (765 mi) before draining into the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Lake Athabasca south of Fort Chipewyan. From there, its waters flow north as Rivière des Rochers, then join the Peace River to form the Slave River, which empties into the Great Slave Lake and discharges through the Mackenzie River system into the Arctic Ocean. The cumulative drainage area is 95,300 km2 (36,800 sq mi).
The river flows along icefields and through gorges, offering wildlife habitat on its shores and in adjacent marshes.
History
Sekani, Shuswap, Kootenay, Salish, Stoney, and Cree tribes hunted and fished along the river prior to European colonization in the 18th century. From about 1778, the Athabasca River, the Clearwater River, which enters the Athabasca River from the east at Fort McMurray, and the Methye Portage were part of a primary fur trade route from the Mackenzie River to the Great Lakes (see Canadian Canoe Routes (early)).
David Thompson and Thomas the Iroquois traveled through Athabasca Pass in 1811. In 1862, the Athabasca Springs area was crossed during the Cariboo Gold Rush by the Overlander Party.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Athabasca River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Athabasca: Key Facts
| Length | 1,231 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 623 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 95,300 km² |
| Source | Columbia Icefield |
| Mouth | Slave River |
| Drainage system | Mackenzie River basin |
| Tributaries | Lesser Slave River, Maligne River, Pembina River, McLeod River, La Biche River, Clearwater River, Firebag River, Richardson River |
Facts from Wikidata Q2216 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Athabasca: Quick Answers
- Where is Athabasca?
- Athabasca is located in Canada, at 55.1741° N, 114.0493° W.
- Are there dams on the Athabasca?
- No dam on the Athabasca is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.