The Muskwa River flows through northern

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, ...

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 major tributary of the

Fort Nelson River The Fort Nelson River, often shortened to simply the Nelson River, is in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally north-westward to the Liard River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River, which empties into the Arctic Ocean. The ...

- part of the Mackenzie River system. The river rises at Fern Lake in the Bedaux Pass in the

Northern Rocky Mountains The Northern Rocky Mountains, usually referred to as the Northern Rockies, are a subdivision of the Canadian Rockies comprising the northern half of the Canadian segment of the Rocky Mountains. While their northward limit is easily defined as the ...

. From there, it flows generally east, then north, and then east again to meet with the Fort Nelson River just east of the town of Fort Nelson. The river drops approximately , its course taking it down the Rocky Mountain foothills through sub-alpine and

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

to meander across the forest and

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 ...

s of the vast

Liard River 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 southeast through British Co ...

plains. From mouth to headwater, prominent tributaries include the

Prophet River The Prophet River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Muskwa River. The Prophet River Hotsprings Provincial Park is established on the upper course, and the Prophet River Wayside Provincial Park is located a ...

Tuchodi River The Tuchodi River is a stream in the Northern Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada. The river flows through the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park in a northeasterly direction to the Muskwa River. Its name comes from Slavey ...

, and Gathto Creek. Much of the upper portions of this wilderness river and its

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

are located in the

Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, 90 km south-west from Fort Nelson and it is bordered to the north by the Alaska Highway. Ac ...

, which is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area.Muskwa-Kechika Protected Areas
, Muskwa-Kechika Management Area The region is a popular wilderness recreation destination. A

geological unit A stratigraphic unit is a volume of rock of identifiable origin and relative age range that is defined by the distinctive and dominant, easily mapped and recognizable petrographic, lithologic or paleontologic features (facies) that characterize it ...

, the Muskwa Formation, was named for this river, as are the

Muskwa Ranges The Muskwa Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in northern British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Northern Rockies section of the Rocky Mountains and are bounded on their west by the Rocky Mountain Trench and on their east by the Rock ...

, which is the name for the subgroup of the Rocky Mountains between the

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

and Liard rivers.

Tributaries

* Fern Lake *Crehan Creek *Reimer Creek *Wenger Creek *Pentreath Creek *Varrick Creek *Kluachesi Creek *Beckman Creek *

*Chlotapecta Creek * Chischa River * Tetsa River *Gairdner Creek *Steamboat Creek *Kledo Creek *Raspberry Creek *Miduski Creek *Akue Creek *Pouce Creek *

References

External links

BC Parks website
* {{authority control

Muskwa River The Muskwa River flows through northern British Columbia, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Fort Nelson River - part of the Mackenzie River system. The river rises at Fern Lake in the Bedaux Pass in the Northern Rocky Mountains. From the ...

Fort Nelson Country Rivers of the Canadian Rockies Peace River Land District