Leaf River Rivière aux Feuilles | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Quebec |
Region | Nord-du-Québec |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Lake Minto |
• location | Nunavik |
• coordinates | 57°13′07″N 75°00′45″W / 57.21861°N 75.01250°W |
• elevation | 181 m (594 ft) |
Mouth | Leaf Bay (off Ungava Bay) |
• location | Tasiujaq |
• coordinates | 58°46′37″N 70°04′00″W / 58.77694°N 70.06667°W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 480 km (300 mi)(includes Lake Minto)[1] |
Basin size | 42,500 km2 (16,400 sq mi)[1] |
Discharge | |
• average | 590 m3/s (21,000 cu ft/s)[1] |
Leaf River (French: Rivière aux Feuilles; Inuktitut: Kuugaaluk ["the large river"] or Itinniq ["where there are spring tides"][2]) is a river in northern Quebec, Canada, at the northern limit of the tree line. It flows from Lake Minto northeast through the Ungava Peninsula into Leaf Bay off Ungava Bay over a distance of 480 kilometres (300 mi).[3] At the head of Leaf Bay is the Inuit community of Tasiujaq.
With caution, it is possible to paddle the entire Leaf River without portaging, as it contains no impassable waterfalls or non-navigable rapids.[4][5][6][7] The river's length, measured from Charpentier Bay to Tasiujaq, is 320 kilometres (200 mi); if measured from first discernable current, it is 288 kilometres (179 mi).[8]
The river is ice-free for about 60 days each year.[2]