The Fiddle River is a medium-sized tributary of the Athabasca River, flowing into the river near the east gate of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Fiddle River forms at the base of Fiddle Pass, with meltwater from Mount Bryant, Mount Gregg, Mount Sir Harold Mitchel, and Mount Barry. The river flows in a general northeast direction before its confluence with the Athabasca. The Fiddle River parallels the road to the popular Miette Hotsprings for a portion of its course.[1]

Fiddle River
The Fiddle River in Jasper National Park
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationFiddle Pass
 • coordinates53°01′47″N 117°30′44″W / 53.02972°N 117.51222°W / 53.02972; -117.51222
 • elevation2,058 m (6,752 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Athabasca River
 • coordinates
53°13′52.1″N 117°51′33.1″W / 53.231139°N 117.859194°W / 53.231139; -117.859194
 • elevation
997 m (3,271 ft)

There are two competing stories for the naming of the Fiddle River (as well as Fiddle Peak, Fiddle Pass, and the Fiddle Range). The first contends that wind flowing over the Fiddle Range with a certain speed and direction mimicks the sound of a #4 fiddle string. The second story argues that the outline of the range resembles that of a violin. The name Fiddle River first appeared in 1846.[2]

Tributaries edit

  • Poachers Creek
  • Slide Creek
  • Sulphur Creek
  • O'Hagan Creek
  • Mystery Creek
  • Villeneuve Creek
  • Morris Creek
  • Ashlar Creek

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Mussio Ventures (2004). Central Alberta Backroad Mapbook. Burnaby: Mussio Ventures.
  2. ^ Karamitsanis, Aphrodite (1991). Place Names of Alberta, Volume 1. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, pg. 87