Gardner Canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gardner Canal |
|
|---|---|
Gardner Canal near Kemano
|
|
 Gardner Canal
Location in British Columbia
|
|
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°26′35″N 128°23′30″W / 53.44306°N 128.39167°W |
| Type | Fjord |
The Gardner Canal is a long, narrow arm of the sea, often called a fjord. It's located on the beautiful British Columbia Coast in Canada. Think of it like a deep, watery valley carved by glaciers. Even though it's a branch of the bigger Douglas Channel, the Gardner Canal stretches about 90 kilometers (56 miles) long. When you add up all the waterways connected to the Douglas Channel, it forms one of the biggest fjord systems on Earth, reaching about 320 kilometers (199 miles)!
How Gardner Canal Got Its Name
The Gardner Canal got its name way back in 1793. A famous explorer named George Vancouver named it after his friend and former boss, Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner. One of Vancouver's team members, Joseph Whidbey, was the first to map out this area in the same year.
Exploring the Geography of Gardner Canal
The entrance to the Gardner Canal is a bit hidden. It's tucked away behind Hawkesbury Island. To get into the canal, you need to go through either Devastation Channel or Varney Passage. These passages are on the northeast and southeast sides of Hawkesbury Island.
The Gardner Canal is divided into different parts, which are called "reaches." As you travel from the mouth of the canal towards its very end, you'll pass through several of these reaches. They are named Alan Reach, Europa Reach, Barrie Reach, Whidbey Reach, and Egeria Reach. The very end of the canal is known as Kitlope Anchorage. Along the sides of the canal, there are also smaller inlets like Ochwe Bay, Triumph Bay, Kiltuish Inlet, Owyacumish Bay, and Chief Mathews Bay.
The Kemano Power Station
The Gardner Canal is home to the Kemano Generating Station. This power station is part of the Nechako Diversion project. It was built to create electricity for an Alcan aluminum factory located in Kitimat.
The generating station is found about halfway along the canal, on its north side. It's right where the Kemano River flows into the canal. At the very end of the Gardner Canal, you'll find the mouth of the Kitlope River. This area is part of a huge wildlife and wilderness preserve called the Kitlope Heritage Conservancy. It's a place known for its amazing natural beauty, but also for its wild weather.
