# Chinchaga River

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{{Short description|River in Alberta, Canada}}
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{{center|<small>'''Chinchaga River''' in [Alberta](/source/Alberta)</small>}}
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'''Chinchaga''' is a river in north-western [Alberta](/source/Alberta).  It is a tributary of the [Hay River](/source/Hay_River_(Canada)).
Through the Hay River, its waters are carried to the [Arctic Ocean](/source/Arctic_Ocean) via [Great Slave Lake](/source/Great_Slave_Lake) and [Mackenzie River](/source/Mackenzie_River).  The name Chinchaga is [First Nations](/source/First_Nations_in_Canada), and means "Big Wood River".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.landsurveyinghistory.ab.ca/PlaceNames/Cabin_Lake-Cyclamen_Ridge.htm|title=Place Names|author=Land Surveyors in Alberta|accessdate=2009-03-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710132149/http://www.landsurveyinghistory.ab.ca/PlaceNames/Cabin_Lake-Cyclamen_Ridge.htm|archive-date=2009-07-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Much of the Chinchaga watershed burned in 1950 during the [Chinchaga fire](/source/Chinchaga_fire).<ref name=Pyne>{{cite book|last=Pyne|first=Stephen J|title=Awful Splendour: A Fire History of Canada|year=2007|publisher=UBC Press|location=Vancouver, BC|isbn=9780774813914|pages=61–63}}</ref>

== Course ==
Chinchaga River originates in the Chinchaga Lakes, a series of small lakes in the [muskeg](/source/muskeg) of north-eastern [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia), at an elevation of 795 m.  It flows east into [Alberta](/source/Alberta), then continues north-east until west of [Keg River](/source/Keg_River%2C_Alberta), where it turns north.  It merges into the Hay River between [Zama Lake](/source/Zama_Lake) and [High Level](/source/High_Level%2C_Alberta), at an altitude of 325 m.  A series of [oxbow lake](/source/oxbow_lake)s are formed on the lower course.  The approximate length of the river is 500&nbsp;km, and the average discharge at its confluence with Hay River is 30 m<sup>3</sup>/s.<ref>[http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm Alberta Environment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116000000/http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm |date=2007-01-16 }} - Alberta River Basins; [http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/ws/data/hydro/figures/_RCHIHILE.gif Chinchaga Discharge Graph] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214802/http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/ws/data/hydro/figures/_RCHIHILE.gif |date=2011-05-25 }}</ref>

== Tributaries ==
[[Image:ChinchagaRiver.JPG|thumb|275px|Chinchaga River near [Highway 58](/source/Alberta_Highway_58)]]
* Lennard Creek
* Tanghe Creek
* Werniuck Creek
* Sloat Creek
* Vader Creek
* Thordarson Creek
* Waniandy Creek
* Haro River
* Haig River

== Conservation and development ==
[Chinchaga Wildland Park](/source/Chinchaga_Wildland_Park) is a large tract of land set aside at the end of 1999 by the [Alberta Government](/source/Alberta_Government) for protection of the habitat of [grizzly bear](/source/grizzly_bear)s and woodland [caribou](/source/caribou), as well as nesting sites of trumpeter [swan](/source/swan).<ref>[http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/enjoying_alberta/parks/planning/gateway/siteinformation.asp?id=372 Alberta Community Development] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050316232718/http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/enjoying_alberta/parks/planning/gateway/siteinformation.asp?id=372 |date=2005-03-16 }} - Chinchaga Wildland Park</ref> However, the rest of the Chinchaga area is a well known [hunting](/source/hunting) ground.<ref>[http://www.chinchaga.ab.ca/ Chinchaga River hunting] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060826030120/http://www.chinchaga.ab.ca/ |date=2006-08-26 }}</ref> Significant [oil and gas](/source/Canadian_Oil_Patch) fields (such as [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg_(oil_field))) and [logging](/source/logging) are developed in the area.

== See also ==
* [Geography of Alberta](/source/Geography_of_Alberta)
* [List of Alberta rivers](/source/List_of_Alberta_rivers)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Alberta rivers and lakes}}

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Category:Rivers of Alberta

{{Alberta-river-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chinchaga River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchaga_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchaga_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.