The Kananaskis River is a mountain river in western Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is a tributary of the Bow River

Bow River

The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....

, crossing the length of Kananaskis Country.

The river was named by John Palliser

John Palliser

John Palliser was an Irish-born geographer and explorer. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was the son of Colonel Wray Palliser and a brother of Major Sir William Palliser , all descendants of Dr William Palliser, Archbishop of Cashel .From 1839 to 1863, Palliser served in the Waterford Militia,...

 in 1858 after a Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

.

Course

The Kananaskis originates in the Canadian Rockies

Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...

, east of the continental divide

Continental divide

A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...

, in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada. The park is located in Kananaskis Country approximately 90 km west of Calgary, along the Kananaskis Trail....

. It flows southeast to the Upper Kananaskis Lake

Upper Kananaskis Lake

Upper Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada.Upper Kananaskis Lake is located in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park along with the Lower Kananaskis Lake....

, then turns north into the Lower Kananaskis Lake

Lower Kananaskis Lake

Lower Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada.Lower Kananaskis Lake is in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park along with the Upper Kananaskis Lake....

. From here it has a northbound course on the border of Spray Valley Provincial Park

Spray Valley Provincial Park

Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River in western Alberta, Canada.The park is part of the Kananaskis Country park system Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located east of the Rocky Mountains, along the Spray River...

 and Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park

Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park

Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park is a provincial park and wildlife reserve located in the Kananaskis Country in south-western Alberta, Canada.-Activities:...

, where the Kananaskis Trail follows its itinerary. The lower course flows through Bow Valley Provincial Park

Bow Valley Provincial Park

Bow Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada. Established in 1959 in the arch of Bow River, at the confluence with Kananaskis River, the park is one park of many within the Kananaskis Country park system....

, where Barrier Lake

Barrier Lake

Barrier Lake is a man made reservoir at the north end of Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada.Highway 40 runs between the lake and Mount Baldy, on the eastern shore...

 is formed along the river. Barrier Lake is an artificial lake used for hydroelectric power generation. The Kananaskis merges into the Bow River at Seebe

Seebe, Alberta

Seebe is a former hamlet in Alberta, Canada, within the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8. It is a former Calgary Power Company Ltd. employee townsite that was closed on August 31, 2004....

, 30 km east of Canmore

Canmore, Alberta

Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...

.

The Kananaskis River has a total length of 74 kilometres (46 mi).

Three dams, built in 1955, control the river's rate of flow: Interlakes, Pocaterra, and Barrier, all three of which are remotely controlled and operated by TransAlta.

Recreation

Many hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 trails are found along the upper course of the river. Canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

, kayaking

Kayaking

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...

, and rafting

Rafting

Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...

 are also popular activities on the lower Kananaskis, with tours starting from Canmore or Banff

Banff, Alberta

Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....

.

Lower Kananaskis River Description

For whitewater enthusiasts looking to run friendly class II(III) whitewater, the Lower Kananaskis is a very popular choice. As the river is dam-controlled, the water levels are predictable, and TransAlta generally posts the release times and flow rates on their website.

The Canoe Meadows site is home to the popular Kananaskis Whitewater Festival ("Kanfest"). This is an annual festival, typically occurring in mid-August, which attracts beginner and expert kayakers alike for a fun-filled weekend of kayaking-related activities.

The Upper Kananaskis (upstream of Barrier Lake) is not so paddler friendly: low water levels, lots of snags and sweepers.

Shuttle

• The put-in for the Lower Kananaskis is the parking lot for "Widow Maker" Rapid, located approximately 1 kilometre upstream of the Kananaskis Information Centre.
• The take-out for the Lower Kananaskis is Canoe Meadows Campground, approximately 1 kilometre downstream of the Kananaskis Information Centre

Rapids

The first rapid on the Kananaskis is the Widow Maker, which is a class III pool drop that is notoriously tippy. It is easy to put in below the Widow Maker if the paddler is looking to avoid the feature. The first play feature is a small hole on river left called Hollywood. The river then winds down with man-made eddies on either side of the river to the second feature called point-break, which is considered the river's best hole for playboating. Downstream is the river's largest wave, called Santa Claus, with an aggressive hole 30 yards below it. The section finishes off with Canoe Meadows Campground on the right hand shore, with a large "V" wave popular with river surfers, a second wave called the Green Tongue, and a very developed slalom course. Nearly every rapid on this stretch of river was either created or manipulated by man-made boulder placements. The exit of the river to get back to the take-out is anywhere on the right hand shore after the last slalom gate. http://kananaskisblog.com/kananaskis-river/2009/