The Squamish River is a short but very large river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Canadian province

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

 of 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...

. Its drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 is 3328 square kilometres (1,284.9 sq mi) in size. The total length of the Squamish River is approximately 80 kilometres (49.7 mi).

Course

The Squamish River drains a complex of basins in the Coast Mountains

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 Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...

 just north of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. Its flows generally south to the head of Howe Sound

Howe Sound

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, actually a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver.-Geography:Howe Sound's mouth at the Strait of Georgia is situated between West Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. The sound is triangular shaped, open on its southeast towards the...

 where the town 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...

 is located.

The Squamish River originates at the toe of the Pemberton Icefield

Pemberton Icefield

The Pemberton Icefield, also known unofficially as the Pemberton Icecap, is the southernmost of the series of very large icefields studding the Pacific Ranges of the southern Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada...

. As it flows south from the glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

, it is joined by several more glacier fed tributaries. About 21.8 km southwest of the source, the Squamish meets the Elaho River

Elaho River

The Elaho River is a c.70 km long river beginning in the Coast Mountains northwest of the towns of Whistler and Pemberton, British Columbia. It is a tributary of the Squamish River and is known for its whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as for the intense alpine scenery lining its...

. The Elaho River, which is the largest tributary of the Squamish, actually has more volume than the Squamish where they join. After its confluence with the Elaho, the river moves southeast for another 24.8 km until its confluence with the Ashlu River, its second largest tributary. Another 16.4 km from there, it is met by the Cheakamus River

Cheakamus River

The Cheakamus River is a tributary of the Squamish River, beginning on the west slopes of Outlier Peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park upstream from Cheakamus Lake on the southeastern outskirts of the resort area of Whistler. The river flows into Cheakamus Lake before exiting it and flowing...

, and 4.7 km further south, by the Mamquam River

Mamquam River

The Mamquam River is a c.35 km tributary of the Squamish River.- Course :The Mamquam River originates at Mamquam Pass and starts off by flowing northwest for about 7.5 km. Shortly below its source, the river picks up the waters of the stream draining November Lake...

. From there, the river flows another 6 km to its mouth at the head of the Howe Sound.

See also

• List of British Columbia rivers
• Squamish people
• Squamish Nation
• The Barrier
  The Barrier
  The Barrier is a lava dam retaining the Garibaldi Lake system in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is over 300 m in thickness and about 2 km wide where it impounds the lake....
  
  
• Mount Cayley volcanic field
  Mount Cayley volcanic field
  The Mount Cayley volcanic field is a remote volcanic zone on the South Coast of British Columbia, Canada, stretching from the Pemberton Icefield to the Squamish River. It forms a segment of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, the Canadian portion of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, which extends from Northern...