Sikanni Chief River facts for kids

The Sikanni Chief River, often called the Sikanni River, is a cool river in the Northern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows through beautiful natural areas and is important to the local communities and wildlife.

Its journey begins high up near Mount McCusker, which is northeast of the Finlay Arm of Williston Lake. From there, the Sikanni Chief River flows until it meets another river called the Fontas River. Together, these two rivers create the Fort Nelson River. This happens southeast of the town of Fort Nelson.

However, people who live in the area, including the Fort Nelson First Nation and other residents of Fort Nelson, have a slightly different view. They often see the Fontas River as just a smaller stream joining the Sikanni Chief. To them, the Sikanni Chief River continues flowing northwest. It then meets the larger Muskwa River, and that's where they believe the Fort Nelson River truly begins. This shows how local knowledge and traditions can sometimes differ from official maps!

River Facts

The area of land that drains into the Sikanni Chief River is quite large. This area is called its drainage basin. The Sikanni Chief River's drainage basin covers about 2,160 square kilometers (which is about 834 square miles). This means all the rain and snow that falls in this big area eventually flows into the Sikanni Chief River.