Spatsizi River

River in British Columbia, Canada

Location of the mouth of the Spatsizi River in BC

Physical characteristicsSourceMount Gunanoot • locationNear Spatsizi Headwaters Provincial Park • elevation1,900 m (6,200 ft) MouthStikine River

• location

Hyland Post

• coordinates

57°42′27″N 128°06′11″W / 57.70750°N 128.10306°W / 57.70750; -128.10306^[1]Length132 km (82 mi)^[2]Basin size3,516 km² (1,358 sq mi)^[3]Discharge • average60.8 m³/s (2,150 cu ft/s)^[3]

The Spatsizi River is a tributary of the Stikine River, rising near Mount Gunanoot in the southeastern Spatsizi Plateau, British Columbia.

Etymology

"Spatsizi" is a phrase from the Sekani language meaning "red goat", a reference to the habit of mountain goats in the region of rolling in the red dust of a particular mountain, making their coat-hair red.

Geography

The Spatsizi River emerges near the foot of Mount Gunanoot in the Skeena Mountains of north-central British Columbia. It then flows downslope and enters Spatsizi Headwaters Provincial Park from the south. The river continues north, leaving the park to enter a broad valley in the heart of the Spatsizi Plateau. The flat-bottomed topography of the valley allows the river to meander considerably along much of its northwestward flow until it reaches the Stikine River in Stikine River Provincial Park.^[4]

References

^ "Spatsizi River". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
^ Lehner, B., Verdin, K., Jarvis, A. (2008): New global hydrography derived from spaceborne elevation data. Eos, Transactions, AGU, 89(10): 93–94.
^ ^a ^b "Northwest Water Tool". BC Water Tool. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
^ "Management Direction Statement for Spatsizi Headwaters Provincial Park" (PDF). bcparks.ca. 2003-03-01. Retrieved 2020-10-23.