The Vermilion River is a tributary of the
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventual ...
in east-central
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 ...
. Its lower course flows through the
County of Vermilion River
The County of Vermilion River is a municipal district located in the eastern part of central Alberta, Canada in Census Division No. 10. The municipal district was formerly named the County of Vermilion River No. 24 prior to an official name c ...
, which is named after this river. It has been said that this river got its name from the distinctive red clay on the edge of the river banks.
Course
The Vermilion River is formed from spring runoff and rainfall south of the town of
Vegreville
Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegrev ...
. It flows northeast through Vegreville, then continues in that direction until the town of
Two Hills, where it turns southeast. At
Vermilion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...
, a reservoir is created by a dam on the river. After that, the river turns again to the northeast. It empties into the
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventual ...
16 km north of
Marwayne.
Vermilion River has a length of 255 km. Before its confluence with the North Saskatchewan River, it has an average water level of 16.5 m.
[Alberta River Basins]
- Vermilion River at Range Road 105
The
Vermilion Provincial Park
Vermilion Provincial Park is a provincial park located in east-central Alberta, Canada, in the County of Vermilion River. It is located on the outskirts of the town of Vermilion, which is at the junction of Highways 16 (Yellowhead) and 41 (Buff ...
is established on the banks of the river.
Fishing
The Vermilion River is home to
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 ...
,
fathead minnow
Fathead minnow (''Pimephales promelas''), also known as fathead or tuffy, is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the genus ''Pimephales'' of the cyprinid family. The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North Amer ...
,
lake chub
The lake chub (''Couesius plumbeus'') is a freshwater cyprinid fish found in Canada and in parts of the United States. Of all North American minnows, it is the one with the northernmost distribution. Its genus, ''Couesius'' is considered mono ...
,
brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans),
longnose dace
The longnose dace (''Rhinichthys cataractae'') is a freshwater minnow native to North America. ''Rhinicthys'' means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and ''cataractae'' means of the cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Longnose dace ...
and
white sucker
The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii)'' is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is commonl ...
. This waterway is subject to North Saskatchewan Tributaries fishing regulations
See also
*
List of rivers of Alberta
Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Alberta is located immediately east of the continental divide, so no rivers from Alberta reach the Pacific Ocean.
List of riv ...
References
Rivers of Alberta
North Saskatchewan River
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