The Hay River ( South Slavey: ) is a large river in northern

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 ...

and southern

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. ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It originates in the

muskeg Muskeg (Ojibwe: mashkiig; cr, maskīk; french: fondrière de mousse, lit. ''moss bog'') is a peat-forming ecosystem found in several northern climates, most commonly in Arctic and boreal areas. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bog or ...

of north western Alberta, flows west to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, then curves northward and returns to Alberta, where it follows a north-northeast course towards the Northwest Territories. After passing over two main waterfalls, the

Alexandra Falls The Alexandra Falls ( Slavey: ''Hatto deh Naili'') is a waterfall located on the Hay River in the Northwest Territories. The falls, the third highest in the NWT, form part of the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park and has its own day use area wi ...

and Louise Falls, it flows through the town of Hay River and discharges 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 ...

. From there, its waters are carried to 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 ...

by the Mackenzie River. Hay River has a total length of and a drainage area of . Tributaries of the Hay River are the

Chinchaga River Chinchaga is a river in north-western Alberta. It is a tributary of the Hay River. Through the Hay River, its waters are carried to the Arctic Ocean via Great Slave Lake and Mackenzie River. The name Chinchaga is First Nations, and means "Big ...

, Meander River (in South Slavey: ''Tahchee''), Steen River, Melvin River and Little Hay River. The Hay River effectively flows through the Hay-Zama Lakes. Rainbow Lake is a widening of the river itself. Communities in the Hay River basin include Rainbow Lake,

Zama City Zama City is a hamlet in northwestern Alberta, Canada within Mackenzie County. It is located north of Zama Lake along Zama Road, which branches off the Mackenzie Highway (Highway 35) approximately north of High Level. The hamlet is located in ...

, Steen River, Indian Cabins (in South Slavey: ''Dzêtú'') in Alberta and

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

and the homonymous Hay River in the Northwest Territories. There are two first nations communities in the river basin: Chateh and Meander River. At the Alberta – Northwest Territories border, the annual discharge is .Environment Alberta - River Basins

Tributaries

;

* Rainbow Lake ;

* Little Buffalo River **Bivouac Creek * Kotcho River ;

** Shekilie River **White Spruce Creek **Sahcho Creek **Townsoitoi Creek *

Little Hay River Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

**Fire Creek *

Zama Lake Zama Lake is a large lake in Mackenzie County, in north-western Alberta, Canada. Major Ernest Wilson Hubbell, Chief Inspector of the Dominion Land Survey, recorded the name "Zammah River" in his field notes as the transliteration of the name of ...

**Sousa Creek **Moody Creek **

Zama River Zama or Zamá may refer to: Places * Zama City, Alberta, Canada * Zama Lake, Alberta, Canada * Zama, Kanagawa, Japan **Camp Zama, a United States Army base in Kanagawa, Japan *Tulum or Zamá, Mexico *Zama (Tunisia) *Zama (Turkey) * Zama, Mississip ...

Omega River Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/ isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...

Amber River Amber River is a stream in Alberta, Canada. Amber River was so named on account of its amber-coloured water. See also *List of rivers of Alberta Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay an ...

Mega River Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is used in taxonomy * Gravity assist, for ''Moon-Eart ...

** Vardie River *Adair Creek *

*Negus Creek *Henderson Creek * Meander River *Adair Creek *

Melvin River The Melvin River is an river in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of Lake Winnipesaukee, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The Melvin River lies entirely within the town of Tuftonboro. It be ...

*Slavey Creek *

Roe River The Roe River runs from Giant Springs to the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana, United States. The Roe River is only long at its longest constant point, and had been named as the World's Shortest River by the '' Guinness Book of World ...

*Lutose Creek *Little Rapids Creek * Steen River *Dizzy Creek *James Creek **Lessard Creek *Jackpot Creek ;

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

* Goose Egg Lakes *Swede Creek *Twin Falls Creek

References

External links

* {{authority control Rivers of Alberta Rivers of the Northwest Territories