Pepaw River, also spelt ''Peepaw'', is a river in the east-central part of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

in the

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, ...

ecozone of Canada. It begins in the

Porcupine Hills The Porcupine Hills refer to various groups of hills and uplands located in the prairie provinces of Canada, specifically the Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They are part of the Manitoba Escarpment ...

and flows northward and meets up with the

Etomami River Etomami River is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The river originates in the Porcupine Hills and flows northward towards the town of Hudson Bay and into the Red Deer River. "Etomami" is a First Nations word that means "a pla ...

south of the town of

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

. Much of the river is within Saskatchewan's

Porcupine Provincial Forest The Porcupine Provincial Forest is a protected boreal forest in Canada which covers the Porcupine Hills on the border of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. __TOC__ History By the end of the 19th century, Eastern Canada had essentially run out of marke ...

and as such has various recreational opportunities along its course. Pepaw River and its amenities are accessed from three different

highways A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

. The part of the river that runs west to east past McBride Lake is paralleled by Highway 983 and the north flowing leg at the lower end of the river is paralleled by Highway 982, also known as Little Swan Road. Highway 9 crosses the river near its mouth.

River's course

The course of the Pepaw River takes it through boreal forest,

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 ...

, glacier-formed valleys, and several lakes. The river begins at a small

unnamed lake An unnamed lake is a body of water with no official nor generally agreed upon name. Such a lake is officially nameless though it may have one or more unofficial names used locally. This is common for many tiny lakes, farm ponds, and minor lakes i ...

in the Porcupine Hills and flows north through forest and rolling hills before flowing into a valley and emptying into the western end of the narrow Eldredge Lake. This valley runs in an east-west direction and to the west of where Pepaw River flows into the valley, is a

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

to the

. At the eastern end of the lake, the Pepaw River continues and follows the valley and empties into McBride Lake. From the eastern end of McBride Lake, the river continues eastward through the valley until the east-west valley meets a north-south valley. To the south is Pepaw Lake and a portage to the Swan River and to the north, the Pepaw River continues and empties into Saginas Lake. A short distance downstream from Saginas Lake there is a small earthen dam () designed to increase the lake's water level for improved fish habitat. Continuing north from the dam, Pepaw River leaves the Porcupine Hills and meets up with the Etomami River near the intersection of Highway 9 and Little Swan Road and Dagg Creek Recreation Site.

Parks and recreation

Three of the five sites that make up

Porcupine Hills Provincial Park Porcupine Hills Provincial Park is the newest provincial park in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. It was created in 2018 through the amalgamation of five pre-existing provincial recreation sites south-east of the town of Hudson Bay. T ...

are along the course of Pepaw River. These sites include McBride Lake Recreation Site, Pepaw Lake Recreation Site, and Saginas Lake Recreation Site. At the mouth of Pepaw River is another recreation site called Dagg Creek Recreation Site, which is part of

Hudson Bay Regional Park Hudson Bay Regional Park is a regional park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located on the south side of the town of Hudson Bay in the RM of Hudson Bay No. 394 along the shores of the Red Deer River. The park is the site of a ...

. These parks offer a variety of activities including camping, fishing, hiking, boating, and picnicking.

Fish species

Fish commonly found in the river include

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

References

{{authority control Rivers of Saskatchewan Hudson Bay No. 394, Saskatchewan

River's course

Parks and recreation

Fish species

See also

References