Clearwater is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

of southern

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 Terr ...

, Canada. Situated entirely in the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

and the

Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...

of Alberta, it is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

fed upper reach

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventua ...

. The upper reach of the Clearwater has become popular for equestrian travelers due to the natural setting along the river.

Course

When measuring from Trident Lake, the Clearwater River has a length of and descends to its end at

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David ...

. * The river begins in Banff National Park on the southern slope of Mount Willingdon immediately into the Devon Lakes at Clearwater Pass. * From the Devon Lakes it flows and descends to Clearwater Lake. * About after Clearwater Lake and down the river hits Trident Lake, where it becomes navigable by canoe, although it is not recommended for paddling until it reaches Timber Creek ( downstream) because of dangerous and variable river wide log jams. * After traveling east and descending , the river exits Banff National Park. There are two class III rapids, and a dangerous blind corner that feeds "Heart Attack Log Jam" (a nearly river wide log jam that requires very good class III paddling skills and tight maneuvering to successfully navigate) before reaching Banff Park boundary. * The river travels east more and descends before turning north and exiting the

Ram Range The Ram Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located in David Thompson Country, Canada. The range extends southeast from Abraham Lake to the Ram River. It is bounded on the southwest by Whiterabbit Creek. This range includes the fol ...

in the Rocky Mountain Foothills. There is one class III rapid a little outside the park boundary, many tight log gardens, and braided channels that end in complete obstruction by logs, as well as one section just downstream of the wagon crossing where the river dives through mature forest and logs with no navigable channel, requiring a 50 meter portage through dense bush and logs. Due to the lack of road access, the many logs and log jams and relative lack of interesting enough whitewater to make up for the long boat haul to reach the put in, the stretch of river from Trident Lake to about downstream (Timber Creek) saw a successful first descent by canoe only recently, by Warren and Paul Finlay on June 26, 2021. * About further along, the river turns east again and meets its first road around Idlewild Mountain. * About later, the river turns northwest. * About further, the river empties into the North Saskatchewan River.

Tributaries

* Martin Creek * Roaring Creek * Malloch Creek * Peters Creek * Forbidden Creek * Timber Creek * Washout Creek * Peppers Creek * Elk Creek * Idlewild Creek * Cuttoff Creek * Rock Creek * Limestone Creek * Seven Mile Creek * Pineneedle Creek * Tay River * Alford Creek * Prairie Creek

Photo gallery

Image:Clearwater at Devon.jpg, Origin of Clearwater River from the Devon Lakes Image:Clearwater at Trident.jpg, Trident Lake along the Clearwater River Image:Clearwater from Alcazar.jpg, Clearwater River in the

References

*''Wild Rivers. Alberta.'', by Canada. Wild Rivers Survey.

External links

Clearwater River Expedition
- A journal log with photos describing a hike along the Clearwater River. {{Coord, 52, 21, 43, N, 114, 56, 52, W, display=title Rivers of Alberta North Saskatchewan River

Course

Tributaries

Photo gallery

See also

References

External links