North Thompson River
Name etymologyThe Thompson River was named by Simon Fraser in honour of David Thompson[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Land DistrictKamloops Division Yale
Length365 km (227 mi)[2]
Discharge1 locationMcLure Ferry[3]
Discharge1 min39.2 m3/s (1,380 cu ft/s)
Discharge1 avg427 m3/s (15,100 cu ft/s)[3]
Discharge1 max2,740 m3/s (97,000 cu ft/s)
Source 1Thompson Glacier
Source1 locationPremier Range, Cariboo Mountains
Source1 coordinates52°40′56″N 119°40′25″W[4]
Source1 elevation1,675 m (5,495 ft)[5]
MouthThompson River
Mouth locationKamloops
Mouth coordinates50°40′55″N 120°20′28″W[6]
Mouth elevation339 m (1,112 ft)[5]
River systemFraser River

The North Thompson River is the northern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the toe of the Thompson Glacier[4] in the Premier Range of the Cariboo Mountains, west of the community of Valemount. The river flows generally south through the North Thompson Valley towards Kamloops where it joins the South Thompson River to form the main stem Thompson River.

For most of its length, the river is paralleled by Highway 5, and the Canadian National Railway (both of which cross the river a couple of times). The North Thompson passes by several small communities, the most notable being Blue River, Clearwater, and Barriere.

Tributaries of the North Thompson River include Pyramid Creek,[7] Canvas Creek,[8] the Albreda River,[9] Thunder River,[10] Mud Creek,[11] Blue River,[12] Mad River,[13] Raft River,[14] Clearwater River,[15] and Barrière River.[16]

The North Thompson's largest tributary is the Clearwater River, which joins at the town of Clearwater. The Clearwater River drains much of Wells Gray Provincial Park.

A notable feature along the North Thompson is Little Hells Gate, a mini-replica of the much larger Hells Gate rapids on the Fraser River. About 17.4 kilometres (10.8 mi) upstream from the small town of Avola, the North Thompson River is forced through a narrow chute only about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, creating a rapid that resembles the Fraser's famous rapid. Many river rafting companies offer a variety of trips through the rapids.

See also

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ Ministry of Environment: HABITAT WIZARD STREAMS REPORT
  3. ^ "Archived Hydrometric Data Search". Water Survey of Canada. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2013. Search for Station 08LB064 North Thompson River at McLure
  4. ^ "Thompson Glacier". 15775.
  5. ^ Elevation derived from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, using GeoLocator, and BCGNIS coordinates
  6. ^
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  8. ^ 10550. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
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