Belly River is a river in northwest

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. It is a tributary of the

Oldman River The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchew ...

, itself a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River. The name of the river may come from the Blackfoot word of , meaning 'stomach'. The river was previously referred to as Mokowan River. Its Gros Ventre name is , also meaning 'belly river'. The river gives the name to the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

age

Belly River Formation The Belly River Group is a stratigraphical unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from the Belly River, a tributary of the Oldman River in southern Alberta, and was first described in outcrop on ...

, which was observed on its banks by George Mercer Dawson in 1883.Dawson, G.M., 1883. Preliminary report on the geology of the Bow and Belly river region, Northwest Territory, with special reference to the coal deposits. Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for 1880-81-82, Part B.

Course

The Belly River originates in northwestern Montana at

Helen Lake Helen Lake is located in Glacier National Park, in the U.S. state of Montana. Helen Lake is at the head of the Belly River and is situated below Ahern Peak to the west and Ipasha Peak to the northwest. Numerous small streams feed the lake in addi ...

, near the base of

Ahern Peak Ahern Peak () is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The mountain was named after George Patrick Ahern. Ahern Peak is immediately southwest of Helen Lake and straddles the Continental Divide A con ...

in Glacier National Park. It flows north across the 49th parallel north into

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

near

Chief Mountain Chief Mountain ('' Blackfoot: Ninaistako'') () is located in the U.S. state of Montana on the eastern border of Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The mountain is one of the most prominent peaks and rock formations alo ...

, in the east of the

Waterton Lakes National Park Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. It borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterto ...

. It continues north, crossed by Highway 6 and Highway 5, passes near the communities of Hill Spring and Glenwood, then turns northeast. It is crossed by Highway 2 north of

Stand Off ''Whole Lotta Sole'' (known as ''Stand Off'' in North America) is a 2012 independent criminal comedy film co-written and directed by Terry George and starring Brendan Fraser, David O'Hara, Colm Meaney, Yaya DaCosta and Martin McCann. Plot H ...

, then continues north along the base of the Mokowan Ridge, where it receives the waters of the

Waterton River Waterton Lake is a mountain lake in southern Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, United States. The lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosporus. The two parts are referred to as Middle ...

. Its flow becomes

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ban ...

ed before the river turns east around the Wild Turnip Hill, then it empties into the

west of Coalhurst, south of Highway 3, at an elevation of .

Tributaries

From spring to mouth, the Belly River receives the following tributaries: *

North Belly River North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north' ...

* Mami Creek * Dipping Vat Lake * Bullhorn Coulee * Layton Creek *

* McNab Coulee

References

{{authority control Rivers of Alberta International rivers of North America Rivers of Glacier County, Montana

Course

Tributaries

See also

References