North Thompson River

North Thompson River
North Thompson River near Vavenby
Thompson River's watershed
Etymology	The Thompson River was named by Simon Fraser in honour of David Thompson[1]
Location
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Land District	Kamloops Division Yale
Physical characteristics
Source	Thompson Glacier
• location	Premier Range, Cariboo Mountains
• coordinates	52°40′56″N 119°40′25″W / 52.68222°N 119.67361°W / 52.68222; -119.67361[2]
• elevation	1,675 m (5,495 ft)[3]
Mouth	Thompson River
• location	Kamloops
• coordinates	50°40′55″N 120°20′28″W / 50.68194°N 120.34111°W / 50.68194; -120.34111[4]
• elevation	339 m (1,112 ft)[3]
Length	365 km (227 mi)[5]
Basin size	20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi)
Discharge
• location	McLure Ferry[6]
• average	427 m3/s (15,100 cu ft/s)[6]
• minimum	39.2 m3/s (1,380 cu ft/s)
• maximum	2,740 m3/s (97,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
River system	Fraser River

The North Thompson River is the northern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the toe of the Thompson Glacier^[2] in the Premier Range of the Cariboo Mountains, west of the community of Valemount. The river flows generally south through the Shuswap Highland towards Kamloops where it joins the South Thompson River to form the main stem Thompson River.

For most of its length, the river is paralleled by Highway 5, and the Canadian National Railway (both of which cross the river a couple of times). The North Thompson passes by several small communities, the most notable being Blue River, Clearwater, and Barriere.

Tributaries of the North Thompson River include Pyramid Creek,^[7] Canvas Creek,^[8] the Albreda River,^[9] Thunder River,^[10] Mud Creek,^[11] Blue River,^[12] Mad River,^[13] Raft River,^[14] Clearwater River,^[15] and Barrière River.^[16]

The North Thompson's largest tributary is the Clearwater River, which joins at the town of Clearwater. The Clearwater River drains much of Wells Gray Provincial Park.

A notable feature along the North Thompson is Little Hells Gate, a mini-replica of the much larger Hells Gate rapids on the Fraser River. About 17.4 kilometres (10.8 mi) upstream from the small town of Avola, the North Thompson River is forced through a narrow chute only about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, creating a rapid that resembles the Fraser's famous rapid. Many river rafting companies offer a variety of trips through the rapids.