Ashlu Creek is a short and swift river-like creek in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. It is a tributary of the Squamish River

Squamish River

The Squamish River is a short but very large river in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its drainage basin is in size. The total length of the Squamish River is approximately .-Course:...

 and enters it about 24.3 km northwest of Squamish

Squamish, British Columbia

Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...

.

Course

Ashlu Creek, often called "the Ashlu", begins at the outlet of an unnamed lake east of Mount Crerar. From there all the way to its mouth, it flows southeast. Starting at Ashlu Falls

Ashlu Falls

Ashlu Falls is a short but significant waterfall along lower Ashlu Creek. The falls are located about 6 km above the mouth of Ashlu Creek and mark the head of Ashlu Canyon. The creek is actually crossed by a logging road bridge between the two tiers....

 is 3.9 km long Ashlu Canyon has several big rapids and large drops making it one of the best kayaking locations in the area. It ends about 2.1 km above the river's mouth.

Hydroelectricity

A 49 megawatt run-of-river hydro installation below the canyon went online December 2009. A diversion weir 5 km above the power house feeds water down a bored tunnel to the site. It is owned by Innergex Renewable Energy

Innergex Renewable Energy

Innergex Renewable Energy is a developer, owner and operator of run-of-river hydroelectric facilities and wind energy projects in North America...

and is expected to produce 265,000 MWh annually.

Tributraries

Ashlu Creek’s only major tributary is Tatlow Creek, which flows northeast from remote Tatlow Lake and joins the Ashlu about 15.8 km below its source. It does have several much smaller tributaries though:

• Shortcut Creek
• Snafu Creek
• Endell Creek
• Red Mountain Creek
• Pykett Creek
• Coin Creek
• Stuyvesedt Creek
• Raring Creek
• Pokosha Creek
• Rob Creek
• Cassetta Creek
• Mowitch Creek
• Sigurd Creek