The Kananaskis River is a mountain river in western

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 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 is a tributary of the

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

, crossing the length of

Kananaskis Country Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...

. The river was named by

John Palliser John Palliser (29 January 1817 – 18 August 1887) was an Irish-born geographer and explorer. Following his service in the Waterford Militia and hunting excursions to the North American prairies, he led the British North American Explorin ...

in 1858 after a

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 ...

Course

The Kananaskis originates 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 ...

, east of the

continental divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

, in

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, 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 A ...

. It flows southeast to the

Upper Kananaskis Lake Upper Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. Upper Kananaskis Lake, along with the Lower Kananaskis Lake, is located in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park . The lake is part of a s ...

, then turns north into the

Lower Kananaskis Lake Lower Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. Lower Kananaskis Lake is in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park along with the Upper Kananaskis Lake. The lake is part of a series of ...

. From here it has a northbound course on the border of

Spray Valley Provincial Park Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River in western Alberta, Canada. The park is part of the Kananaskis Country park system (along with Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park, Bow Va ...

and Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, where the Kananaskis Trail follows its itinerary. The lower course flows through

Bow Valley Provincial Park Bow Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada. Established in 1959 in the arch of the Bow River at its confluence with the Kananaskis River, the park is one park of many within the Kananaskis Country park system. This park i ...

, where Barrier Lake is formed along the river. Barrier Lake is an artificial lake used for

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

generation. The Kananaskis merges into the Bow River at

Seebe Seebe is a former hamlet in Alberta, Canada, within the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8. It is a former Calgary Power Company Ltd. employee townsite that was closed on August 31, 2004. The name Seebe comes from the Cree word for river. ...

, 30 km east of Canmore. The Kananaskis River has a total length of . The river contains three hydroelectric dams, each of which contains a powerhouse. The Pocaterra Hydroelectric Facility involves a 1.5-kilometre penstock to increase the

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

and therefore the amount of electricity it generates.

Recreation

Many

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trails are found along the upper course of the river.

Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

, and

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

are also popular activities on the lower Kananaskis, with tours starting from Canmore or Banff.

Lower Kananaskis River description

For whitewater enthusiasts looking to run friendly class II(III) whitewater, the Lower Kananaskis is a popular choice. As the river is dam-controlled, the water levels are predictable, and TransAlta generally posts the release times and flow rates on thei
website
The Canoe Meadows site is home to the popula
Kananaskis Whitewater Festival ("Kanfest")
This is an annual festival, typically occurring in mid-August, which attracts beginner and expert kayakers alike for a fun-filled weekend of kayaking-related activities. The Upper Kananaskis (upstream of Barrier Lake) is not so paddler friendly: low water levels, many snags and sweepers.

Shuttle

* The put-in for the Lower Kananaskis is the parking lot for "Widow Maker" Rapid, located approximately 1 kilometre upstream of the Kananaskis Information Centre. * The take-out for the Lower Kananaskis is Canoe Meadows Campground, approximately 1 kilometre downstream of the Kananaskis Information Centre

Rapids

The first rapid on the Kananaskis is the Widow Maker, which is a class III pool drop that is notoriously tippy. It is easy to put in below the Widow Maker if the paddler is looking to avoid the feature. The first play feature is a small hole on river left called Hollywood. The river then winds down with man-made

eddies In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid is in a turbulent flow regime. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object. Fluid beh ...

on either side of the river to the second feature called point-break, which is considered the river's best hole for playboating. Downstream is the river's largest wave, called Santa Claus, with an aggressive hole 30 yards below it (dubbed "Santa's Little Helper"). The section finishes off with Canoe Meadows Campground on the right hand shore, with a large "V" wave popular with river surfers, a second wave called the Green Tongue, and a very developed slalom course. Nearly every rapid on this stretch of river was either created or manipulated by man-made boulder placements. The exit of the river to get back to the take-out is anywhere on the right hand shore after the last slalom gate

A major 2013 Alberta floods, flood beginning on June 21, 2013 had a destructive effect on the man-made rapids on the lower Kananaskis River. Very few of them are still considered suitable for

Playboating Canoe freestyle (also known as playboating) is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where people perform various technical moves in one place (a playspot), as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is ...

, partially due to movement of boulders, and partially due to inconsistent water levels. Soon after, th
Alberta Whitewater Association
reconstructed an interim slalom course, with plans to improve it further with additional time and funding.

References