Iskut River
The Iskut River, located in the northwest part of the province of British Columbia is the largest tributary of the Stikine River, entering it about 11 km (6.8 mi) above its entry into Alaska.
| Iskut River | |
|---|---|
Iskut River valley above Forrest Kerr Creek | |
Mouth of Iskut River | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | Cassiar Land District |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kluachon Lake |
| • location | Klastline Plateau |
| • coordinates | 57°50′37″N 130°0′31″W |
| • elevation | 846 m (2,776 ft) |
| Mouth | Stikine River |
• location | Boundary Ranges |
• coordinates | 56°44′54″N 131°46′58″W |
• elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Length | 248 km (154 mi) |
| Basin size | 9,544 km2 (3,685 sq mi), |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 457 m3/s (16,100 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Todagin Creek, Burrage Creek, Ningunsaw River, Craig River, Inhini River |
| • right | Little Iskut River, Forrest Kerr Creek, Verrett River, Twin River, Hoodoo River, Johnson River |
| Waterbodies | Eddontenajon Lake, Kinaskan Lake, Natadesleen Lake, Tatogga Lake |
| Waterfalls | Cascade Falls |
| Topo map | NTS 104B Iskut River (South), 104G Telegraph Creek |
From its source at Kluachon Lake the Iskut River flows south and west for about 248 km (154 mi) to the Stikine River near the border of British Columbia and Alaska. The upper Iskut flows south through a series of lakes: Kluachon Lake, Eddontenajon Lake, Tatogga Lake, Kinaskan Lake, Natadesleen Lake, and others. The middle Iskut encompasses the area between the Little Iskut River and Forrest Kerr Creek. Below the Ningunsaw River the Iskut flows southwest through a canyon and is regulated by the Forrest Kerr Hydroelectric Project, a run-of-river hydroelectric project. The lower Iskut flows west through an increasingly braided channel.
The upper Iskut is in the Klastline Plateau, a subregion of the Stikine Plateau. The middle Iskut forms the boundary between the Stikine Plateau and the Skeena Mountains. The lower Iskut flows through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains.
The Iskut River's watershed covers 9,544 km2 (3,685 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is 457 m3/s (16,100 cu ft/s). The river's watershed's land cover is classified as 34.6% conifer forest, 20.1% barren, 18.2% snow/glacier, 13.4% shrubland, 10.0% herbaceous, and small amounts of other cover. The mouth of the Iskut River is located about 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Wrangell, Alaska, about 140 km (87 mi) northwest of Stewart, British Columbia, and about 133 km (83 mi) south of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia. The Iskut watershed is highly glaciated and is characterized by landscapes shaped by geologically recent glaciers and the Laurentide Ice Sheet as well as volcanism.
The Iskut River watershed is in the asserted traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation and Iskut First Nation, of the Tahltan people. The lower Iskut River is also in the traditional territory of the Tlingit, specifically the Shtax'héen Ḵwáan, commonly known as the Stikine River people.
The name of the Iskut River possibly comes from a Nisga'a word meaning "stinking", otherwise of unknown origin.