Robson River

Last updated
Robson River
Robson River.jpg
Robson River above Whitehorn campground
Location
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
District Cariboo Land District
Physical characteristics
Source Robson Lake
  location Mount Robson Provincial Park
  coordinates 53°09′16″N119°07′09″W / 53.15444°N 119.11917°W / 53.15444; -119.11917
  elevation5,489 ft (1,673 m) [1]
Mouth Fraser River
  location
Mount Robson Provincial Park
  coordinates
53°01′37″N119°15′29″W / 53.02694°N 119.25806°W / 53.02694; -119.25806 Coordinates: 53°01′37″N119°15′29″W / 53.02694°N 119.25806°W / 53.02694; -119.25806
  elevation
2,637 ft (804 m) [2]

The Robson River is a short but swift, rapid and waterfall-infested river in Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia. [3] It is a tributary of the Upper Fraser River and it originates near Robson Pass, which divides the Robson River and the headwaters of the Smoky River drainage. There are three lakes along the river's course as well as four waterfalls.

Contents

Course

Robson Lake to Berg Lake

The Robson River begins in Robson Lake, which is located at the toe of the Robson Glacier. After exiting the lake, the river flows northwest then southwest before entering Berg Lake. Before entering Berg Lake, the river widens and splits into many small streams before flowing into the northeast end of Berg Lake.

Berg Lake to Kinney Lake

The river exits the southwest end and flows west for about 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) until dropping over spectacular Emperor Falls, a 46 metres (150 ft) plunge at the head of a 1.6-kilometre (1.0 mi) canyon in which the river thunders over two more waterfalls. The first is Falls of the Pool, which comes about halfway down the gorge and at the end of the canyon is White Falls, a multi-tiered waterfall that cannot be seen in its entirety from the main trail. All these falls are collectively known as the Valley of a Thousand Falls. The river continues south from White Falls for another 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) before entering Kinney Lake, which sits directly at the base of the Robson River's namesake peak, Mount Robson. Between Berg and Kinney Lakes, the river loses 666 metres (2,185 ft) of elevation, much of which is lost in the gorge between Emperor and White Falls. Once again, prior to entering another lake, this time Kinney, the river spreads out very wide & divides into many braids before flowing into the lake.

Kinney Lake to the Fraser River

The Robson exits Kinney Lake at its south end and flows southwest for about 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) to its confluence with the Fraser, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) below Overlander Falls and about 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) above the mouth of Swiftcurrent Creek. About halfway between Kinney Lake & the Fraser is Knowlton Falls, the first waterfall seen on the Berg Lake Trail. About 0.6 kilometres (0.4 mi) above the Fraser, the Yellowhead Highway crosses the river.

In total, the river loses 869 metres (2,852 ft) of elevation between Robson Lake and the Fraser River, three-quarters of which is lost between Berg and Kinney Lakes.

Hiking

The main hiking trail in the area is the Berg Lake Trail, which begins at the Yellowhead Highway near the mouth of the Robson. It goes all the way to its namesake lake, where the trail splits into more trails. Reaching Berg Lake is usually a multi-day trip. However, it is possible and it is done in a single day by some.

Not everyone chooses to go all the way to Berg Lake though. Some will settle with a much quicker but still satisfying trip to Kinney Lake. Bikes are permitted all the way up to Kinney Lake and a ways beyond. Part way down the shore of the lake is a bike lock-up. From here, anyone continuing to go further upriver has to go on foot.

The Berg Lake trail also gives hikers looks at the Robson's waterfalls. Knowlton Falls is seen about halfway between the trailhead and Kinney Lake while hikers can stare into the canyon at White Falls and Falls of the Pool as the trail climbs toward Berg Lake. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Fraser River River in British Columbia, Canada

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 kilometres (854 mi), into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. It is the 11th longest river in Canada. The river's annual discharge at its mouth is 112 cubic kilometres (27 cu mi) or 3,550 cubic metres per second (125,000 cu ft/s), and it discharges 20 million tons of sediment into the ocean.

Mount Robson Mountain in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of the Rainbow Range. Mount Robson is the second highest peak entirely in British Columbia, behind Mount Waddington in the Coast Range. The south face of Mount Robson is clearly visible from the Yellowhead Highway, and is commonly photographed along this route.

Berg Lake Body of water

Berg Lake is a lake on the Robson River just below the river's source located within Mount Robson Provincial Park, at the doorstep of the north face of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. It is partly fed by the Berg Glacier.

Mount Robson Provincial Park Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Robson Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies with an area of 2,249 km². The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta. The B.C. legislature created the park in 1913, the same year as the first ascent of Mount Robson by a party led by Conrad Kain. It is the second oldest park in the provincial system. The park is named for Mount Robson, which has the highest point in the Canadian Rockies and is located entirely within the park.

Kinney Lake Body of water

Kinney Lake is a lake located in Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, Canada. The lake can be reached by following the Berg Lake Trail for 4.2 kilometres. The lake is an expansion of the Robson River and is located about halfway between the river's source and its mouth. It was named by Arthur Philemon Coleman, Canadian geologist, who explored the region with his friend, George Kinney, who spotted the lake first.

Hayes River

The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.

The Chehalis River is located in the southwest corner of British Columbia, Canada near the city of Chilliwack. It flows south-eastward out of the Douglas Ranges of the Coast Mountains, draining into the Harrison River.

The Pukaskwa River is a river in Thunder Bay District and Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a tributary of Lake Superior, which it enters at the south end of Pukaskwa National Park. It is a remote, pristine, free-flowing, medium-sized Shield river, with lots of whitewater, best travelled in spring.

Eagle Creek (Multnomah County, Oregon)

Eagle Creek is a creek located in Hood River County, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. A tributary of the Columbia River, the creek flows for approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the Thrush Pond between Eagle Butte and Tanner Butte to its mouth near Bonneville Dam. The East Fork Eagle Creek is a major tributary that begins at Wahtum Lake and joins the main stem approximately 2/3 the way between the Thrush Pond and the Columbia River, separated by Indian Mountain.

Clearwater River (British Columbia) River in British Columbia, Canada

The Clearwater River is the largest tributary of the North Thompson River, joining it at the community of Clearwater, British Columbia. The Clearwater rises from glaciers in the Cariboo Mountains and flows in a mostly southerly direction for 201 km (125 mi) to the North Thompson. Its entire course, except the last 5 km (3 mi), is within Wells Gray Provincial Park. Its confluence with the North Thompson is protected by North Thompson River Provincial Park.

Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon)

The Salmon River is a 33.5-mile (53.9 km) river in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon that drains part of southwestern Mount Hood. The entire length of the river is a protected National Wild and Scenic River. Several portions are in protected wilderness. It is affluent to the Sandy River, a tributary of the Columbia River.

Johnston Creek (Alberta) Creek in Alberta, Canada

Johnston Creek is a tributary of the Bow River in Canada's Rocky Mountains. The creek is located in Banff National Park.

Scotts Gulf Canyon in Tennessee

Scott's Gulf is a canyon situated along the Caney Fork River in White County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The canyon stretches for approximately 18 miles (29 km) as the Caney Fork drops from the top of the Cumberland Plateau down to the eastern Highland Rim. This remote section of the river is home to a wilderness area consisting of a largely undisturbed deciduous forest, numerous waterfalls, caves and other geological formations, and Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids.

Mahood Lake Lake in British Columbia, Canada

Mahood Lake is a lake in the South Cariboo region of the Interior of British Columbia in Wells Gray Provincial Park. It is drained by the Mahood River, a tributary of the Clearwater River which has cut a deep canyon into Cambrian rocks and Pleistocene glacial moraines. Mahood Lake is fed by the short Canim River, which drains nearby Canim Lake to the west via Canim Falls and Mahood Falls.

Murtle River

The Murtle River is a river in east-central British Columbia, Canada. It rises from a large unnamed glacier in the Cariboo Mountains at an elevation of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) and flows southwest for 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the head of gigantic Murtle Lake. The river also drains Murtle Lake then flows southwest for 36 kilometres (22 mi) into the Clearwater River. The Murtle River is the longest and largest tributary to the Clearwater.

Emperor Falls

Emperor Falls is the largest and best known waterfall on the Robson River in Mount Robson Provincial Park. It is located a short distance downstream of and southwest from the outlet of Berg Lake.

The Moose River is a river in Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia. It is the first "river" tributary of the Fraser, entering the Fraser just above the inlet to Moose Lake, which is along the course of the Fraser and not the Moose.

Swiftcurrent Creek is a river in Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia. It is a tributary of the Fraser River, entering the Fraser about 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) below the mouth of the Robson River.

Falls Creek (California)

Falls Creek, also known as the Falls River, is a tributary of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. The creek begins at the northern boundary of the national park and flows 24 miles (39 km) to empty into the Tuolumne at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, dropping over two well-known waterfalls. The Pacific Crest Trail and other national park trails follow the creek for much of its course.

Wells Gray Provincial Park Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fourth largest park, after Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Tweedsmuir.

References

  1. Source elevation derived from Google Earth.
  2. Mouth elevation derived from Google Earth.
  3. "Robson River". BC Geographical Names .
  4. TrailPeak.com: Berg Lake Trail