The Tuchodi River is a stream 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 ...

of 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. The river flows through the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park in a northeasterly direction to the

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 ...

. Its name comes from

Slavey The Slavey (also Slave and South Slavey) are a First Nations indigenous peoples of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern ...

words that mean "place of large water", probably a reference to the two lakes where the river widens.

Course

The Lloyd George Icefield around

Mount Lloyd George Mount Lloyd George is a peak in British Columbia, Canada, rising to a prominence of above Lloyd George Pass. The mountain is located NE of Haworth Lake in Kwadacha Wilderness Provincial Park. Its line parent is Mount Sylvia, away. It is part ...

in 1998 covered over . The Kwadacha and Lloyd George glaciers drain the icefield to the east. The icefield is bounded by the Warneford River and the Tuchodi River. The headwaters of the Tuchodi feed the West and East Tuchodi lakes. West Tuchodi Lake is formed where an alluvial fan caused by glacial action blocks the flow of the river. East Tuchodi Lake is formed where the river is blocked by sand and gravel debris at the mouth of Joplin Creek. The small river continues after the lakes to the

, flowing fast through braided channels in a bed made of glacial rocks, gravel and sand.

Tuchodi Peak Tuchodi Peak is a peak in British Columbia, Canada, rising to a prominence of above South Gataga Pass. Its line parent is Mount Lloyd George, away. It is part of the Northern Rocky Mountains, and is named after the Tuchodi River The Tuchodi R ...

named after the river.

Flora

The Upper Tuchodi valley runs between mountains with dwarf willow, dwarf birch, alpine grasses, sedges and lichen above the tree line, which is about above sea level. Lower down, there are forests of lodgepole pine and white and black spruce. White spruce and aspen, and some balsam poplar, grow along the riverside, and there are willows and wildflowers on the sandy gravel bars of the river. Where the river leaves the Rockies and enters the eastern foothills, there has been large-scale burning to enhance wildlife range. This has caused formation of young aspen stands and grasslands. In this area the floodplain of the river is narrower, running between high sandstone and shale hills with steep sides through narrow gorges with many shallow rapids.

Wildlife

There is a healthy population of elk and moose in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where they find abundant food. Higher up, there are stone sheep and goats. The valley is home to grizzly bears, black bears and wolves throughout its length.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{authority control Rivers of British Columbia Peace River Land District