Kakwa River is a river in western Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is a major tributary of the Smoky River

Smoky River

Smoky River is a river in western Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Peace River. The descriptive name refers to the presence of "smouldering beds of coal in the riverbank" noted by the Cree Indians....

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Tourism along the river revolves around bull trout

Bull trout

The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....

 fishing and white water rafting. Kakwa Falls (54.10913°N 119.92350°W) are developed in the course of the river, over a 30 metres (98.4 ft) high ledge formed by an outcrop of the Cadomin Formation

Cadomin Formation

The Cadomin Formation is a stratigraphical unit of early Cretaceous age. It is part of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and is found in western Alberta, Canada....

. The area was designated a protected wildland (Kakwa Wildland Park). It can be accessed through the forestry road network south of Highway 666

Alberta Highway 666

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 666 is a highway in the province of Alberta, Canada. It runs mostly west-east, on mostly existing township and range roads in the M.D. of Greenview in Northern Alberta, for 37 km. The name highway 666 is often avoided, due to its association with the Number of...

, approximately 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) south of Two Lakes Provincial Park

Two Lakes Provincial Park

Two Lakes Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada, located south of Grande Prairie, south of Highway 666 and an additional south on forestry roads, where 4WD is recommended for access....

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The river is named for Kakwa, the Cree

Cree language

Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...

 word for porcupine

Porcupine

Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...

. Porcupines are abundant in Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area

Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area

Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area is a 170,890 ha provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. There are significant amounts of fish fossils there. The tallest mountains are Mount Sir Alexander and Mount Ida . Fishing in Kakwa Lake is permitted...

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Course

Kakwa River originates in Kakwa Lake, north of McBride

McBride, British Columbia

Situated on the Yellowhead Highway , McBride is a small community in the Robson Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, located southeast of Prince George, west of the Alberta border, and west of Jasper, Alberta....

, in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, at an elevation of 1495 metres (4,904.9 ft). The surrounding area is protected by Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area

Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area

Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area is a 170,890 ha provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. There are significant amounts of fish fossils there. The tallest mountains are Mount Sir Alexander and Mount Ida . Fishing in Kakwa Lake is permitted...

. The river flows north-east into the province of Alberta in Kakwa Wildlands Park

Kakwa Wildlands Park

Kakwa Wildlands Park is a provincial park in the Rocky Mountain Foothills just east of the northern Canadian Rockies, in Alberta, Canada,, immediately east of the border with British Columbia at the 120th meridian west....

, then flows east and north-east through the foothills. It is crossed by the Bighorn Highway before it converges into the Smoky River, at an elevation of 670 metres (2,198.2 ft).

Tributaries

From its origins to its mouth, Kakwa River receives waters from:

• Kakwa Lake
• Cecilia Creek
• Mouse Cache Creek
• Francis Peak Creek
• South Kakwa River
• Lynx Creek
• Ravine Creek
• Chicken Creek
• Daniel Creek
• Copton Creek
• Redrock Creek
• Route Creek
• Prairie Creek