Wapiti River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CountryCanada
locationTuck Lake, Wapiti Pass
coordinates54°26′26″N 120°47′25″W / 54.44069°N 120.79021°W / 54.44069; -120.79021 (Wapiti River origin)
elevation1,370 m (4,490 ft)
Wapiti River
Wapiti River in western Canada
Location
CountryCanada
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationTuck Lake, Wapiti Pass
  coordinates54°26′26″N 120°47′25″W / 54.44069°N 120.79021°W / 54.44069; -120.79021 (Wapiti River origin)
  elevation1,370 m (4,490 ft)
Mouth 
  location
Smoky River
  coordinates
55°08′16″N 118°18′05″W / 55.13784°N 118.30152°W / 55.13784; -118.30152 (Wapiti River mouth)
  elevation
485 m (1,591 ft)
Discharge 
  average100 m3/s (3,500 cu ft/s)

The Wapiti River /ˈwɑːpɪd/ 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).

Wapiti River crossed by Highway 40 south of Grande Prairie

Wapiti River originates as the outflow of Tuck Lake, east of Wapiti Pass, in Wapiti Lake Provincial Park, east-central British Columbia, in the Canadian Rockies. It then runs in a north-eastern direction, crosses into Alberta, where it becomes more meandered as it continues through the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. It merges into the Smoky River 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Grande Prairie.

From west to east, Wapiti River flows through the alpine environment of the Rocky Mountains, the rolling foothills, then farmlands and aspen parkland in western Alberta. Wapiti Lake Provincial Park, Bear River Park, O'Brien Provincial Park and Pipestone Creek Park[1] are protected areas along the river.

Close to its mouth, Wapiti has an average discharge of 100 cubic metres per second (3,500 cu ft/s).[2]

Tributaries and crossings

See also

References

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