Wabasca River facts for kids
The Wabasca River is a major river in northern Alberta, Canada. It is the largest river that flows into the Peace River system. A river system includes a main river and all the smaller rivers and streams that flow into it. The Wabasca River helps drain a huge area of land, about 36,300 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi).
River's Journey
The Wabasca River starts its journey in a place called Sandy Lake. This lake is located northeast of Slave Lake. From there, the river flows into two larger lakes: South Wabasca Lake and North Wabasca Lake. The small town of Wabasca is found right between these two lakes.
After leaving the lakes, the river continues to flow north. It passes through thick boreal forests and muskeg areas. Boreal forests are large forests with mostly pine, spruce, and fir trees. Muskeg is a type of swampy, boggy land. Finally, the Wabasca River empties into the Peace River. This meeting point is west of a community called Fort Vermilion.
Rivers That Join It
Many smaller rivers and streams flow into the Wabasca River. These are called tributaries. They add water to the main river as it flows. Here are some of the rivers that join the Wabasca:
- Willow River
- Muskwa River
- Pastecho River
- Trout River
- Wood Buffalo River
- Woodenhouse River
- Liége River
- Panny River
- Loon River
- Muddy River
- Bear River
The Wabasca Lakes
The Wabasca River forms two important lakes along its path. These are South Wabasca Lake and North Wabasca Lake. South Wabasca Lake covers an area of 61.6 square kilometres (23.8 sq mi). North Wabasca Lake is larger, covering about 101.4 square kilometres (39.2 sq mi).
The community of Wabasca is located between these two lakes. The Wabasca Airport is also found there. Several indian reserves belonging to First Nations groups are located near these lakes. The Wabasca 166 reserves (a, b, c, and d) belong to the Bigstone Cree First Nations. Another reserve, Tall Cree 173, is near where the river joins the Peace River. It belongs to the Tallcree tribe.
