Wapiti River

For the river in New Zealand, see Wapiti River (New Zealand).

Wapiti River
Wapiti River in western Canada
Location
Country	Canada
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Tuck Lake, Wapiti Pass
• coordinates	54.44069°N 120.79021°W / 54.44069; -120.79021 (Wapiti River origin)
• elevation	1,370 m (4,490 ft)
Mouth
• location	Smoky River
• coordinates	55.13784°N 118.30152°W / 55.13784; -118.30152 (Wapiti River mouth)
• elevation	485 m (1,591 ft)
Discharge
• average	100 m^3/s (3,500 cu ft/s)

The Wapiti River /ˈwɑːpɪdiː/ 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).

Course

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

Tributary/Crossing	Location	Remarks
Tuck Lake	54.44069°N 120.79021°W / 54.44069; -120.79021 (Tuck Lake)	Originates from Tuck Lake in Wapiti Pass
Wapiti Lake	54.56148°N 120.77831°W / 54.56148; -120.77831 (Wapiti Lake west)	Flows into Wapiti Lake
Wapiti Lake	54.58420°N 120.75794°W / 54.58420; -120.75794 (Wapiti Lake east)	Flows from Wapiti Lake
Wapiti Lake Provincial Park	54.59638°N 120.73880°W / 54.59638; -120.73880 (Wapiti Lake Provincial Park)	Leaves Park
Fearless Creek	54.73646°N 120.51058°W / 54.73646; -120.51058 (Fearless Creek)	Left tributary, also waters of Dokken Creek
Calliou Creek	54.74127°N 120.45839°W / 54.74127; -120.45839 (Calliou Creek)	Left tributary
Red Deer Creek	54.68386°N 120.24966°W / 54.68386; -120.24966 (Red Deer Creek)	Right tributary
Belcourt Creek	54.68479°N 120.10373°W / 54.68479; -120.10373 (Belcourt Creek)	Right tributary
Mistanusk Creek	54.70038°N 120.06016°W / 54.70038; -120.06016 (Mistanusk Creek)	Right tributary, from Boundary Lake
Alberta/British Columbia	54.73684°N 120.00109°W / 54.73684; -120.00109 (Province Border)	Crosses into the province of Alberta
Chinook Creek	54.72715°N 119.94752°W / 54.72715; -119.94752 (Chinook Creek)	Right tributary, from Chinook Ridge
Narraway River	54.73503°N 119.92292°W / 54.73503; -119.92292 (Narraway River)	Right tributary
Lingrell Creek	54.77732°N 119.84333°W / 54.77732; -119.84333 (Lingrell Creek)	Right tributary, from Lingrell Lake
Nose Creek	54.86847°N 119.63802°W / 54.86847; -119.63802 (Nose Creek)	Right tributary
Calahoo Creek	54.91894°N 119.68454°W / 54.91894; -119.68454 (Calahoo Creek)	Left tributary
Smith Creek	54.95758°N 119.60497°W / 54.95758; -119.60497 (Smith Creek)	Left tributary
Pinto Creek	54.97542°N 119.45228°W / 54.97542; -119.45228 (Pinto Creek)	Right tributary
West Iroquois Creek	55.00271°N 119.37504°W / 55.00271; -119.37504 (West Iroquois Creek)	Right tributary
Iroquois Creek	55.02108°N 119.31770°W / 55.02108; -119.31770 (Iroquois Creek)	Right tributary
Redwillow River	55.03241°N 119.30971°W / 55.03241; -119.30971 (Redwillow River)	Left tributary, carries waters from Beaverlodge River as well
Pipestone Creek	55.04614°N 119.10261°W / 55.04614; -119.10261 (Pipestone Creek)	Left tributary
Spring Creek	55.07790°N 118.94005°W / 55.07790; -118.94005 (Spring Creek)	Left tributary
Highway 40	55.07206°N 118.80483°W / 55.07206; -118.80483 (Highway 40)	Crossed by road bridge
Big Mountain Creek	55.05953°N 118.66093°W / 55.05953; -118.66093 (Big Mountain Creek)	Right tributary
Canadian National Railway	55.07215°N 118.62247°W / 55.07215; -118.62247 (CN)	Crossed by railway bridge
Bear River	55.10725°N 118.48549°W / 55.10725; -118.48549 (Bear River)	Left tributary
Smoky River	55.13784°N 118.30152°W / 55.13784; -118.30152 (Smoky River)	Empties into the Smoky River as left tributary

See also

• List of rivers of British Columbia
• List of rivers of Alberta

References

1. Discover the Peace Country - Pipestone Creek Park
2. Alberta Environment Archived 2007-01-16 at the Wayback Machine - Wapiti Discharge graph