Liard
Liard 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
- 59.60°, -126.53°
About Liard
The Liard River of the North American boreal forest flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows 1,115 km (693 mi) southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back into Yukon and Northwest Territories, draining into the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. The river drains approximately 277,100 km2 (107,000 sq mi) of boreal forest and muskeg.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Liard River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Liard in Depth
Course
The Liard River originates in south-eastern part of the Yukon, on the slopes of Mount Lewis, at 61°14′12″N 131°37′39″W, at an elevation of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). It flows south and east, between the ranges of Pelly Mountains, then south through the Yukon Plateau, where it receives the waters of Prospect Creek. It turns east after it receives the waters of the Caribou Creek from Caribou Lakes, then the Swede and Junkers Creek. It then follows the southern rim of the St. Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains, where the Ings River flows into it. It follows the southern edge of the Simpson Range, receiving the waters of the Old Gold Creek, Rainbow Creek, Dome Creek, Quartz Creek and Scurvy Creek.
Geography
The river habitats are a subsection of the Lower Mackenzie Freshwater Ecoregion. The area surrounding the river in Yukon is called the Liard River Valley, and the Alaska Highway follows the river for part of its route. This surrounding area is also referred to as the Liard Plain, and is a physiographic section of the larger Yukon–Tanana Uplands province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division.
History
To the Kaska Dena people who live upon the upper reach of the river in Yukon and north-west British Columbia, the Indigenous name for the river is Nêtʼił Tué', which means Hanging Down River in the Kaska language. The name comes from a particularly narrow spot near the river's headwaters, where Kaska people used to set goat snares. The "hanging down" - "Nêtʼił" part of the name refers to the snares. The origin of the river's name in mainstream use today is obscure, but is derived from the French word for "Eastern Cottonwood" (a kind of poplar) which grow in abundance along sections of the river. Among the early fur traders, who traveled the river corridor the Liard above the Fort Nelson River was referred to as the "West Branch," while the Fort Nelson River was the "East Branch."
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Liard River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Liard: Key Facts
| Length | 1,115 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 2,434 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 276,000 km² |
| Mouth | Mackenzie River |
| Drainage system | Mackenzie River basin |
| Tributaries | Frances River, Hyland River, Coal River, Smith River, Grayling River, Beaver River, La Biche River, Kotaneelee River |
Facts from Wikidata Q2249 (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
Liard: Quick Answers
- Where is Liard?
- Liard is located in Canada, at 59.5965° N, 126.5279° W.
- Are there dams on the Liard?
- No dam on the Liard is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.