The Highwood River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...
in southwestern
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 Ter ...
,
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 tot ...
.
Course
The Highwood originates in the
Canadian Rockies in
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada. The park is in Kananaskis Country about west of Calgary, along the Kananaskis Trail.
This park is within Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The park was originally named K ...
, in the
Highwood Pass
Highwood Pass is a mountain pass in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. It lies west of Mount Rae and Mount Arethusa of the Misty Range, south of the Elbow Pass. It lies within the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on Alberta Highway 40
Al ...
below
Mount Arethusa. It flows south and is paralleled by the
Kananaskis Trail between
Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park,
Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park, and ''Emerson Creek Park''. It turns east and flows along Highway 541 and through the community of
Longview. Continuing east, it passes through
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
, ending when it enters the
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...
southeast of
Calgary.
Recreation
The river is known for
flyfishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
. A variety of trout species live in the river, including native
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" (''S. malma''), but was reclassified as a separate speci ...
. In springtime when the snow is melting the river offers white water rafting.
Flooding
The Highwood River is subject to frequent flooding. Flood events of exceptional magnitude occurred in 1894, 1899, 1902, 1908, 1912, 1923, 1929, 1932, 1942, 1995, 2005 and 2013. Most recently during the
2013 Alberta floods
In the days leading up to June 19, 2013, parts of southern and central Alberta, Canada experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding described by the provincial government as the worst in Alberta's history. Areas along the Bo ...
, thousands of people in Alberta were ordered to evacuate their homes after the rise of the Highwood River, Bow River,
Elbow River
The Elbow River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows from the Canadian Rockies to the city of Calgary, where it merges into the Bow River.
Course
The Elbow River originates at Elbow Lake in the Front Range of the Canadian Rocky ...
and numerous others. Three people died as a result of the flooding of the Highwood River.
Tributaries and features
From origin to mouth, the Highwood River receives the following tributaries or passes through these geographic features:
See also
*
List of rivers of Alberta
Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Alberta is located immediately east of the continental divide, so no rivers from Alberta reach the Pacific Ocean.
List of r ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Alberta
Bow River