The Klinaklini River ( Kwak'wala name T̓linat̓łina also spelled ƛ̓inaƛ̓ina) is one of the major rivers of the

Pacific Ranges The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to B ...

section of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It originates in the

Pantheon Range The Pantheon Range is a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. It is located between the edge of the Chilcotin Plateau at Tatla Lake on its northeast and the Klinaklini River on its west, with a southeastern ...

and empties into the head of Knight Inlet. A different spelling of ''Klinaklini'' is Kleena Kleene, which is the name of a recreational community on the river just below its exit from the Pantheon Range onto the

Chilcotin Plateau The Chilcotin Plateau is part of the Fraser Plateau, a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e. "the Chilcotin", which lies between ...

. In the area of Kleena Kleene the Klinaklini, Homathko and Chilanko River basins share the same stretch of plateau. The names Kleena Kleene and Klinaklini derive from the Kwak'wala word for eulachon grease, which is made from the

eulachon The eulachon ( (''Thaleichthys pacificus''), also spelled oolichan , ooligan , hooligan ), or the candlefish, is a small anadromous species of smelt that spawns in some of the major river systems along the Pacific coast of North America from no ...

, a small oily fish that ascend coastal rivers. There is a First Nation village of the Tanakteuk subdivision of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples at the mouth of the river, Tsawatti. Located on the Indian Reserve of the same name, it is the primary

fishing and preservation site of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples and as such is open for use by other subdivisions of the Kwakwaka'wakw.

Course

The Klinaklini River originates in small, unnamed lakes on the eastern slopes of Hellraving Peak, in the northern

, north of Mount Vishnu and

Mount Waddington Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Although it is lower than Mount Fairweather and Mount Quincy Adams, which straddle the United States border between Alaska ...

, and south of Perkins Peak. From its source the Klinaklini River flows northeast to the Chilcotin Plateau, where it turns suddenly northwest. Its path is followed by

British Columbia Highway 20 Highway 20, also known as the Chilcotin Highway, and officially dubbed the Alexander Mackenzie (explorer), Alexander MacKenzie Highway, is one of the two main east–west routes in the British Columbia Interior, Central Interior of British Columb ...

. The river flows by the community of Kleena Kleene before entering One Eye Lake. Below the lake the Klinaklini turns west, while Highway 20 continues north along McClinchy Creek, a tributary of the Klinaklini. The river flows generally south and west through the Pantheon Range, collecting numerous tributary streams. Below Colwell Creek the river briefly widens into Klinaklini Lake. As the Klinaklini turns more directly south it is joined from the northwest by the North Klinaklini River, which is formed by the meltwaters of many glaciers. It flows by heavily glaciated mountains with names like Monarch Mountain, The Queen, The Pretender, The Throne, The Serf, and Concubine Peaks. Knot Lakes, tributary to the North Klinaklini River, extend north into Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park. After its confluence with the North Klinaklini River the main Klinaklini flows south along the western side of the Pantheon and

Waddington Range The Waddington Range is a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is only about in area, relatively small in area within the expanse of the range, but it is the highest area of the Pacif ...

s. Along the way it is contained in Klinaklini Canyon. Below Klinaklini Canyon the river is joined by the brief but voluminous West Klinaklini River (7 km only) joins the Klinaklini. The West Klinaklini is the meltwater from

Klinaklini Glacier The Klinaklini Glacier is a glacier west of the Klinaklini River and head of Knight Inlet the Coast Land District of British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten province ...

, the main tongue of the vast

Ha-Iltzuk Icefield The Ha-Iltzuk Icefield is an icefield in the central Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest icefield in the Coast Mountains south of the Alaska Panhandle, with an area of . It is located on the west ...

( Silverthrone Glacier), which lies west of the Klinaklini. Tumult Creek, a tributary of the West Klinaklini River, flows from Tumult Glacier. Below the West Klinaklini confluence the Klinaklini River flows south through a relatively wide valley to its mouth at the head of Knight Inlet, just west of the mouth of the

Franklin River The Franklin River is a major perennial river located in the Central Highlands (Tasmania), Central Highlands and Western Tasmania, western regions of Tasmania, Australia. The river is located in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at ...

Tributaries

This is an incomplete list of tributaries listed in upstream order. * Devereux Creek * Dice Creek * West Klinaklini River ** Tumult Creek * Hoodoo Creek * Dorothy Creek * Frontier Creek * North Klinaklini River ** Knot Creek *** Knot Lakes * Jobin Creek * Colwell Creek * Bussel Creek * Ba'tiste Dester Creek * Big Stick Creek ** Big Stick Lake * McClinchy Creek * Chromiun Creek

References

{{authority control Rivers of British Columbia Rivers of the Chilcotin Rivers of the Central Coast of British Columbia Rivers of the Pacific Ranges Range 2 Coast Land District

Course

Tributaries

See also

References