The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada, which originates at the
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...
in
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...
and flows more than before emptying into
Lake Athabasca
Lake Athabasca (; French: ''lac Athabasca''; from Woods Cree: , "herethere are plants one after another") is located in the north-west corner of Saskatchewan and the north-east corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N in Canada. The lake ...
. Much of the land along its banks is protected in national and provincial parks, and the river is designated a
Canadian Heritage River The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...
for its historical and cultural importance. The scenic
Athabasca Falls
Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, approximately south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and just west of the Icefields Parkway.
Geography and geology
Athabasca Falls is a Class 5 wat ...
is located about upstream from
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
.
Etymology
The name ''Athabasca'' comes from the
Woods Cree
Woods Cree is an indigenous language spoken in Northern Manitoba, Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi dialect continuum. The dialect continuum has around 116,000 speakers; the exact popu ...
word , which means "
here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here
Television
* Here TV (form ...
there are plants one after another", likely a reference to the spotty vegetation along the river.
Course
The Athabasca River originates in Jasper National Park, in an unnamed lake at the toe of the Columbia Glacier
within the
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...
, between
Mount Columbia,
Snow Dome, and the
Winston Churchill Range
The Winston Churchill Range is a mountain range in the central section of the Park Ranges of the Canadian Rockies located in Jasper National Park. The range was named after Sir Winston Churchill, former British prime minister.
The eastern bound ...
, at an elevation of approximately . It travels before draining into the
Peace-Athabasca Delta near Lake Athabasca south of
Fort Chipewyan
Fort Chipewyan , commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, app ...
. From there, its waters flow north as
Rivière des Rochers
Rivière des Rochers ( French for "River of Rocks") is a river in Alberta in the Peace–Athabasca Delta and Wood Buffalo National Park. It is the main outflow of Lake Athabasca and flows northward, around many islands, and meets with the Peace Riv ...
, then join the
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
to form the
Slave River
The Slave River is a Canadian river that flows from the confluence of the Rivière des Rochers and Peace River in northeastern Alberta and empties into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. The river's name is thought to derive from the ...
, which empties into the
Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake (french: Grand lac des Esclaves), known traditionally as Tıdeè in Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì (Dogrib), Tinde’e in Wıìlıìdeh Yatii / Tetsǫ́t’ıné Yatıé (Dogrib / Chipewyan), Tu Nedhé in Dëne Sųłıné Yatıé (Chi ...
and discharges through the
Mackenzie River system into the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
. The cumulative drainage area is .
![Athabasca River JNP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Athabasca_River_JNP.JPG)
The river flows along icefields and through
gorges, offering wildlife habitat on its shores and in adjacent marshes. Throughout its course, it flows through or adjacent to numerous
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
and
provincial park
Ischigualasto Provincial Park
A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to t ...
s, including
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...
,
Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park
Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname.
Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...
,
La Biche River Wildland Provincial Park
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
,
Grand Rapids Wildland Provincial Park
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and co ...
,
Richardson River Dunes Wildland Provincial Park
Richardson may refer to:
People
* Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname
* Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s
* Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962)
Places Australia
*Richardson, Australian Capit ...
, and
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest National Parks of Canada, national park of Canada at . It is located in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories. Larger in area than Switzerland, it is the second-largest national park ...
. Its course is marked by
rapids, impeding navigation southwest of Fort McMurray.
Numerous communities are located on the banks of the Athabasca River, including Jasper,
Brule,
Entrance,
Hinton,
Whitecourt
Whitecourt is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Woodlands County. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Highway 43 and Highway 32. It has an elevation of .
White ...
,
Fort Assiniboine
Fort Assiniboine is a hamlet in northwest Alberta, Canada, within Woodlands County. It is located along the north shore of the Athabasca River at the junction of Highway 33 and Highway 661. It is approximately northwest of Barrhead, southe ...
,
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
,
Athabasca
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may a ...
,
Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
, and
Fort McKay
Fort McKay ( ) or Fort MacKay is a community in northern Alberta, northeast Alberta, Canada that is located at the confluence of the Athabasca River, Athabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately north of Fort McMurray via Alberta Highway 63, ...
.
Tributaries
;
Alberta's Rockies
Alberta's Rockies comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. On the southwestern part of the province along the British Columbia border, the region covers all but the south of Census Division 15.
The main industry in this region ...
*Habel Creek
*Warwick Creek
*Quincy Creek
*
Chaba River
*Dragon Creek
*
Sunwapta River
*Ranger Creek
*Fryatt Creek
**
Lick Creek
*Geraldine Lakes
*Kerkeslin Creek
*Hardisty Creek
*
Whirlpool River
The Whirlpool River is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is an early tributary of the Athabasca River.
The Whirlpool is formed in Athabasca Pass, collecting meltwater from the Hooker Icefield and the Mount Brown Icefield. ...
*
Astoria River
The Astoria River is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is an early tributary of the Athabasca River.
The Astoria forms in the Tonquin Valley, collecting meltwater from the Fraser Glacier, The Ramparts, Mount Erebus, Moun ...
*Portal Creek
*Wabasso Creek
*Whistlers Creek
*Tekerra Creek
*
Miette River
The Miette River ( or ) is a short river in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It flows south-southwest through the Rocky Mountains before draining eastward into the Athabasca River at Jasper.
The Miette forms at the base of Mount Moren, wi ...
*Pyramid Lake
*
Maligne River
The Maligne River ( ) is a medium-sized river in the Canadian Rockies. It runs through parts of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Maligne is a major tributary of the Athabasca River. The river takes from the French word for malignant or ...
*Garonne Creek
*
Snaring River
*Morro Creek
*Cobblestone Creek
*Corral Creek
*Jacques Creek
*Rocky River
*
Snake Indian River
The Snake Indian River is a large tributary of the Athabasca River, exiting entirely within Jasper National Park. The Snake Indian forms at Snake Indian Pass, south of Monte Christo Mountain and Snake Indian Mountain, north of Calumet Peak. The ...
*Mountain Creek
*
Fiddle River
The Fiddle River is a medium-sized tributary of the Athabasca River, flowing into the river near the east gate of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Fiddle River forms at the base of Fiddle Pass, with meltwater from Mount Bryant, Moun ...
*Supply Creek
*Oldhouse Creek
*Prine Creek
*Maskuta Creek
;
Central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy.
Geography
Central Alberta is bordere ...
*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 Berland River is a stream in Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Athabasca River.
A former variant name was "Baptiste Berland River".
See also
*List of rivers of Alberta
Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the A ...
**Wildhay River
*Beaver Creek
*Marsh Head Creek
*Pine Creek
*Pass Creek
*Two Creek
*Windfall Creek
*Chickadee Creek
*Bessie Creek
*Stony Creek
*Sakwatamau River
*
McLeod River
The McLeod River is a river in west-central Alberta, Canada. It forms in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and is a major tributary of the Athabasca River.
__TOC__
Course
The river begins just outside the eastern border of Jasper Nation ...
;
Northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cen ...
*
Freeman River
The Freeman River is a short river in west-central Alberta, Canada. The Freeman takes its name from the fur traders, who, after leaving the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company or the North West Company, decided to remain in the interior and work a ...
*Timeu Creek
*
Pembina River Pembina River may refer to:
*Pembina River (Alberta), a river in central Alberta, Canada
*Pembina River (Manitoba – North Dakota)
The Pembina River is a tributary of the Red River of the North, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Nationa ...
*
Lesser Slave River
The Lesser Slave River ( Cree ''Iyaghchi Eennu Sepe'', translation: "River of the Strange People") is a river in central Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Athabasca River.
The Lesser Slave Lake and the river were the main links ...
*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 The Firebag River is a river in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. It gets its name from the traditional bags Aboriginals once used to carry fire-starting flints.
Firebag River in western Canada
It originates in ''Firebag Lake'' in northw ...
*Richardson River
History
Sekani
Sekani or Tse’khene are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The ne ...
,
Shuswap,
Kootenay
Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to:
Ethnic groups
*The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada
**Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai
**Ktunaxa ...
,
Salish
Salish () may refer to:
* Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans
** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest
** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...
,
Stoney, and
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
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
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
, and the
Methye Portage
The Methye Portage or Portage La Loche in northwestern Saskatchewan was one of the most important portages in the old fur trade route across Canada. The portage connected the Mackenzie River basin to rivers that ran east to the Atlantic. It wa ...
were part of a primary
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
route from the
Mackenzie River to the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
(see
Canadian Canoe Routes (early)
This article covers the water based Canadian canoe routes used by early explorers of Canada with special emphasis on the fur trade.
Introduction
European exploration of Canada was principally by river. The land has many navigable rivers with ...
).
David Thompson and Thomas the Iroquois traveled through
Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies on the border between Alberta and British Columbia. In fur trade days it connected Jasper House on the Athabasca River with Boat Encampment on the Columbia River.Whittaker, Jo ...
in 1811. In 1862, the
Athabasca Springs area was crossed during the
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later joined the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly Rive ...
by the
Overlander Party Overlander or Overlanders may refer to:
*An Australian name for a drover who herds large mobs of sheep or cattle over long distances, to a market or rail head, or to open up new grazing territory
*Overlander (train) was a rail service that opera ...
.
The northern segment of the Athabasca River became part of a major shipping network in 1921 when the
Alberta and Great Waterways Railway reached
Waterways
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...
near
Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
, making it the northernmost point on the North American railroad grid at that time. Cargo for destinations farther north was shipped to Waterways and transferred to barges, after which fleets of tugboats took them up the river to destinations in the Athabasca and Mackenzie River watersheds. Barge traffic declined after 1964 when
Hay River, on the Great Slave Lake in the
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
, became the northern terminus of the rail grid.
[
][
]
Environmental concerns
Owing to its proximity to the
Athabasca oil sands, the river has seen significant amounts of energy infrastructure constructed along its course. On June 6, 1970, a pipeline operated by
Great Canadian Oil Sands
Great Canadian Oil Sands Limited was a Canadian heavy oil company that existed between 1953 and 1979. In 1962, GCOS received a permit from the Alberta government to build a 31,500 barrels-per-day synthetic crude plant in the Athabasca oil sands ...
, the precursor to
Suncor
Suncor Energy (french: Suncor Énergie) is a Canadian integrated energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. It specializes in production of synthetic crude from oil sands. In the 2020 Forbes Global 2000, Suncor Energy was ranked as the 48th-lar ...
and the earliest commercial extraction operation, ruptured near the banks of the river. The total spill volume was estimated by Great Canadian Oil Sands at approximately .
In 2012, an independent study concluded that the Athabasca River contained
elevated levels of pollution downstream of the Athabasca oil sands. Testing showed this portion of the river contained
mercury,
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
, and 11 other toxic elements.
In 2021, another independent research was conducted on the
streamflow
Streamflow, or channel runoff, is the flow of water in streams and other channels, and is a major element of the water cycle. It is one component of the movement of water from the land to waterbodies, the other component being surface runoff. Wate ...
and climate data sets for the Athabasca River Basin showing the
seasonality
In time series data, seasonality is the presence of variations that occur at specific regular intervals less than a year, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Seasonality may be caused by various factors, such as weather, vacation, and holidays a ...
of the streamflow and precipitation time series via wavelet analysis.
The seasonal components of these time series were shown to be coherent with phase discrepancy. The mean temperature had been gradually increasing since 1960, and it was projected to increase by approximately 2 °C during the mid-century, possibly reducing the snowpack volume during the spring.
Coal mine spill
On October31, 2013, a pit at the
Obed Mountain coal mine spill
The Obed Mountain coal mine spill was a mining disaster that occurred on October 31, 2013, when a waste pit at the Obed Mountain Mine failed near the town of Hinton in Alberta, Canada. Following the collapse of a tailings dam, up to one billion l ...
ed, and between 600 million and a billion litres of slurry poured into Plante and Apetowun Creeks.
The plume of waste products then joined the Athabasca River, travelling downstream for a month before settling in Lake Athabasca near Fort Chipewyan, over away.
Heritage
The river was designated a
Canadian heritage river The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...
for its importance to the fur trade and the construction of railways and roads opening up the
Canadian West
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada– ...
, as well as for its natural heritage.
The
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...
named the position of
Athabaska Herald
The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...
after the river.
Gallery
Image:GeraldineLakes.jpg, Athabasca River Valley seen from the Geraldine Lakes
Image:Athabasca_Falls_2005-06-11.jpeg, Flowing through the Athabasca Falls
Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, approximately south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and just west of the Icefields Parkway.
Geography and geology
Athabasca Falls is a Class 5 wat ...
Image:Jasper, Alberta, Canada, ViewFromSummit RyanShepherd.JPG, Passing by Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
Image:Athabasca River JNP.JPG, In Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...
Image:Athabascafrompyramid.jpg, Athabasca River valley from the Pallisades fire lookout
Image:Athabasca_at_Brule_Lake.jpg, Athabasca River at the mouth of Brûlé Lake
Image:Banks of the Athabasca (10859000606).jpg, Dr. Karl Clark and guide Romeo Eymundson on the bank of the Athabasca River.
Image:Athabasca at windfall.JPG, Upstream from Whitecourt
Whitecourt is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Woodlands County. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Highway 43 and Highway 32. It has an elevation of .
White ...
Image:Alberta tar sands.jpg, Bituminous sand banks north of Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
Image:Athabasca River July 2013.jpg, Athabasca River in July, 2013
Image:Athabasca River in Jasper.jpg, Athabasca River in Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
Image:Athabasca River Plaque.jpg, Plaque overlooking the river in Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...
, 2015
See also
*
Geography of Alberta
Alberta is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Western Canada, the province has an area of and is bounded to the south by the United States state of Montana along 49° north for ; to the east at 110° west by ...
*
List of Alberta rivers
Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Alberta is located immediately east of the continental divide, so no rivers from Alberta reach the Pacific Ocean.
List of riv ...
*
List of longest rivers of Canada
Among the longest rivers of Canada are 47 streams of at least . In the case of some rivers such as the Columbia, the length listed in the table below is solely that of the main stem. In the case of others such as the Mackenzie, it is the combin ...
References
External links
* http://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/OSEM/ Athabasca River Conditions and Use, Government of Alberta
* http://www.ramp-alberta.org/river.aspx Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency, RAMP (Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program), Athabasca River Basin
* https://web.archive.org/web/20120414210651/http://www.chrs.ca/Rivers/Athabasca/Athabasca-F_e.php Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS), Athabasca River
* http://arbri.athabascau.ca/About-the-Athabasca-River-basin/Index.php About the Athabasca River Basin, Athabasca River Basin Research Institute
*
{{Authority control
Athabasca, Alberta
Canadian Heritage Rivers
Fort McMurray
Jasper National Park
Rivers of Alberta
Whitecourt
Rivers of the Canadian Rockies
River, Athabasca