# Highwood River

The Highwood River is a tributary of the Bow River in southwestern Alberta, Canada.

## Course

The Highwood originates in the Canadian Rockies in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, in the Highwood Pass below Mount Arethusa. It flows south and is paralleled by the Kananaskis Trail between Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park, and Emerson Creek Park. It turns east and flows along Highway 541 and through the community of Longview. Continuing east, it passes through High River, ending when it enters the Bow River southeast of Calgary.

## Recreation

The river is known for flyfishing. A variety of trout species live in the river, including native bull trout. In springtime when the snow is melting the river offers white water rafting.

## Flooding

The Highwood River is subject to frequent flooding. Flood events of exceptional magnitude occurred in 1894, 1899, 1902, 1908, 1912, 1923, 1929, 1932, 1942, 1995, 2005 and 2013. Most recently during the 2013 Alberta floods, thousands of people in Alberta were ordered to evacuate their homes after the rise of the Highwood River, Bow River, Elbow River and numerous others. Three people died as a result of the flooding of the Highwood River.

## Tributaries and features

From origin to mouth, the Highwood River receives the following tributaries or passes through these geographic features:
| Tributary or feature | Location | Remarks |
| Storm Creek | 50°33′57″N 114°57′11″W﻿ / ﻿50.56597°N 114.95302°W﻿ / 50.56597; -114.95302﻿ (Storm Creek) | left tributary from Storm Mountain |
| Kananaskis Trail | 50°32′27″N 114°56′57″W﻿ / ﻿50.54084°N 114.94909°W﻿ / 50.54084; -114.94909﻿ (Kananaskis Trail) | Bridge |
| Mist Creek | 50°30′50″N 114°50′19″W﻿ / ﻿50.51388°N 114.83849°W﻿ / 50.51388; -114.83849﻿ (Mist Creek) | left tributary from Mist Mountain |
| Picklejar Creek | 50°30′25″N 114°49′42″W﻿ / ﻿50.50687°N 114.82833°W﻿ / 50.50687; -114.82833﻿ (Picklejar Creek) | left tributary |
| Loomis Creek | 50°28′02″N 114°47′06″W﻿ / ﻿50.46714°N 114.78512°W﻿ / 50.46714; -114.78512﻿ (Loomis Creek) | right tributary |
| McPhail Creek | 50°24′59″N 114°44′43″W﻿ / ﻿50.41631°N 114.74539°W﻿ / 50.41631; -114.74539﻿ (McPhail Creek) | right tributary |
| Cat Creek | 50°24′29″N 114°42′45″W﻿ / ﻿50.40797°N 114.71243°W﻿ / 50.40797; -114.71243﻿ (Cat Creek) | left tributary |
| Strawberry Creek | 50°22′57″N 114°40′40″W﻿ / ﻿50.38248°N 114.67775°W﻿ / 50.38248; -114.67775﻿ (Strawberry Creek) | right tributary |
| Fitzsimmons Creek | 50°22′45″N 114°39′28″W﻿ / ﻿50.37914°N 114.65781°W﻿ / 50.37914; -114.65781﻿ (Fitzsimmons Creek) | right tributary |
| Etherington Creek | 50°22′46″N 114°38′58″W﻿ / ﻿50.37944°N 114.64946°W﻿ / 50.37944; -114.64946﻿ (Etherington Cree) | right tributary |
| Stony Creek | 50°23′18″N 114°37′09″W﻿ / ﻿50.38832°N 114.61922°W﻿ / 50.38832; -114.61922﻿ (Stony Creek) | left tributary |
| Cataract Creek | 50°23′23″N 114°34′57″W﻿ / ﻿50.38986°N 114.58254°W﻿ / 50.38986; -114.58254﻿ (Cataract Creek) | right tributary |
| Zephyr Creek | 50°23′23″N 114°34′32″W﻿ / ﻿50.38977°N 114.57551°W﻿ / 50.38977; -114.57551﻿ (Zephyr Creek) | right tributary |
| Marston Creek | 50°24′17″N 114°30′05″W﻿ / ﻿50.40470°N 114.50136°W﻿ / 50.40470; -114.50136﻿ (Marston Creek) | left tributary |
| Deep Creek | 50°25′24″N 114°28′12″W﻿ / ﻿50.42343°N 114.46994°W﻿ / 50.42343; -114.46994﻿ (Deep Creek) | left tributary |
| Eden Valley Indian reserve 216 | 50°25′14″N 114°28′33″W﻿ / ﻿50.42061°N 114.47585°W﻿ / 50.42061; -114.47585﻿ (Eden Valley start) | enters reserve |
| Eden Valley Indian Reserve 216 | 50°27′31″N 114°25′27″W﻿ / ﻿50.45863°N 114.42421°W﻿ / 50.45863; -114.42421﻿ (Eden Valley end) | leaves reserve |
| Waldie Creek | 50°28′29″N 114°25′11″W﻿ / ﻿50.47466°N 114.41978°W﻿ / 50.47466; -114.41978﻿ (Waldie Creek) | left tributary |
| Trap Creek | 50°28′43″N 114°25′10″W﻿ / ﻿50.47849°N 114.41952°W﻿ / 50.47849; -114.41952﻿ (Trap Creek) | left tributary |
| Sullivan Creek | 50°31′51″N 114°23′06″W﻿ / ﻿50.53074°N 114.38507°W﻿ / 50.53074; -114.38507﻿ (Sullivan Creek) | left tributary |
| Ings Creek | 50°33′35″N 114°20′13″W﻿ / ﻿50.55979°N 114.33701°W﻿ / 50.55979; -114.33701﻿ (Ings Creek) | left tributary |
| Longview | 50°31′59″N 114°14′24″W﻿ / ﻿50.53301°N 114.24000°W﻿ / 50.53301; -114.24000﻿ (Longview) | enters town limits |
| Cowboy Trail | 50°31′24″N 114°14′01″W﻿ / ﻿50.52346°N 114.23348°W﻿ / 50.52346; -114.23348﻿ (Cowboy Trail) | bridge |
| Bull Creek | 50°30′20″N 114°13′58″W﻿ / ﻿50.50548°N 114.23275°W﻿ / 50.50548; -114.23275﻿ (Bull Creek) | right tributary |
| Pekisko Creek | 50°28′55″N 114°07′42″W﻿ / ﻿50.48207°N 114.12843°W﻿ / 50.48207; -114.12843﻿ (Pekisko Creek) | right tributary |
| High River | 50°34′33″N 113°54′21″W﻿ / ﻿50.57573°N 113.90574°W﻿ / 50.57573; -113.90574﻿ (High River) | enters town limits |
| Highway 2A | 50°34′59″N 113°52′21″W﻿ / ﻿50.58308°N 113.87239°W﻿ / 50.58308; -113.87239﻿ (Highway 2A) | road and railroad bridge |
| Tongue Creek | 50°38′20″N 113°52′19″W﻿ / ﻿50.63876°N 113.87181°W﻿ / 50.63876; -113.87181﻿ (Tongue Creek) | left tributary |
| CPR | 50°39′26″N 113°51′34″W﻿ / ﻿50.65727°N 113.85934°W﻿ / 50.65727; -113.85934﻿ (CPR) | railroad bridge |
| Highway 2 | 50°40′06″N 113°51′44″W﻿ / ﻿50.66836°N 113.86222°W﻿ / 50.66836; -113.86222﻿ (Highway 2) | bridge |
| Highway 547 | 50°41′49″N 113°51′50″W﻿ / ﻿50.69705°N 113.86396°W﻿ / 50.69705; -113.86396﻿ (Highway 547) | bridge |
| Sheep River | 50°44′25″N 113°51′21″W﻿ / ﻿50.74024°N 113.85580°W﻿ / 50.74024; -113.85580﻿ (Sheep River) | left tributary |
| Highway 552 | 50°47′01″N 113°49′17″W﻿ / ﻿50.78368°N 113.82126°W﻿ / 50.78368; -113.82126﻿ (Highway 552) | bridge |
| Bow River | 50°49′08″N 113°46′42″W﻿ / ﻿50.81898°N 113.77845°W﻿ / 50.81898; -113.77845﻿ (Bow River) | river mouth as right tributary of Bow River |
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