The Smoky River is a 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 major

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 drainage ...

of the

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

. The descriptive name refers to the presence of "smouldering beds of coal in the riverbank" noted by the

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 ...

Indians. It drains an area of . From its headwaters to the Peace River, the Smoky River has a total length of . The average discharge is .

Course

The Smoky River 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 ...

, in the northern area of Jasper National Park from Adolphus Lake (53.171N 119.117W). It then flows north east through the

Willmore Wilderness Park Willmore Wilderness Park, located in Alberta, Canada, is a wilderness area adjacent to Jasper National Park. It is lesser known and less visited than Jasper National Park. There are no public roads, bridges or buildings. There are, however, seve ...

until it passes near the town of

Grande Cache Grande Cache is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately northwest of Hinton and west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Smok ...

. It continues north, passes Watino and merges into the Peace River south of the Town of

Peace River, Alberta Peace River, originally named Peace River Crossing and known as in French, is a town in northwest Alberta, Canada. It is along the banks of the Peace River at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. It is approxima ...

Tributaries

* Adolphus Lake *Calumet Creek *Carcajou Creek *Swoda Creek *Chown Creek *Twintree Lake *Short Creek *Rockville Creek **Azure Lake *Desolation Creek *No Luck Creek *

Jackpine River The Jackpine River is an early tributary of the Smoky River. It forms in the Canadian Rockies, within Willmore Wilderness Park, in the province of Alberta, north of Jasper National Park. The river collects the runoff from Resthaven Mountain, Ba ...

Muddywater River The Muddywater River is an early tributary of the Smoky River. It forms in the Canadian Rockies, within Willmore Wilderness Park, in the province of Alberta, north of Jasper National Park. The Muddywater forms at Morkill Pass, on the Continent ...

*Wolverine Creek *Calypso Creek *Corral Creek *Gentain Creek *Goldrenrod Creek *Lawrence Creek *Henrietta Creek *Delome Creek *Davey Creek *Eaton Creek *

Sulphur River The Sulphur River is a river in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas in the United States. Geography The Sulphur River begins at the confluence of its north and south forks forming (following earlier meanders) the northern and southern bounda ...

*Two Cabin Creek *Roddy Creek *

Muskeg River 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 ...

*Sheep Creek *Norris Creek *Bolton Creek *

Kakwa River The Kakwa River is a tributary of the Smoky River in western Alberta, Canada. The river is named for ''Kakwa'', the Cree language, Cree word for porcupine. Porcupines are abundant in Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area. Tourism along the ri ...

Cutbank River Cutbank River is a river in western Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Smoky River. It originates in the boreal forest of the Rocky Mountains foothills, on the south-eastern flanks of Nose Mountain, and flows east into the Smoky River ...

*Micmillar Creek *Lignite Creek *Ellenwood Lake *

Wapiti River The Wapiti River is a river in eastern British Columbia and western Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Smoky River, located in the southern area of the Peace River Basin. Wapiti is named after the Cree word for elk (''waapiti''). ...

* Simonette River *Kleskun Creek *

Puskwaskau River The Puskwaskau River is a short river in Northern Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Smoky River flowing westwards in the Peace River Country. Its waters flow through the Smoky River, Peace River (Canada), Peace River, Slave River, Great Sla ...

* Bad Heart River *

Little Smoky River The Little Smoky River is a tributary of the Smoky River in west-central Alberta, Canada. Course The river originates in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, west of Grande Cache and flows in a north-east direction throughout the foothills. ...

*Peavine Creek *Hunting Creek **Lalby Creek

References

{{authority control Rivers of Alberta Rivers of the Canadian Rockies

Course

Tributaries

See also

References