The Athabasca River (French: Rivière Athabasca) is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in national and provincial parks, and the river is designated a Canadian Heritage River for its historical and cultural importance. The scenic Athabasca Falls is located about upstream from Jasper. Etymology The name Athabasca comes from the Woods Cree word , which means "[where] there are plants one after another", likely a reference to the spotty vegetation along the river. Course The Athabasca River originates in Jasper National Park, in an unnamed lake at the toe of the Columbia Glacier within the Columbia Icefield, between Mount Columbia, Snow Dome, and the Winston Churchill Range, at an elevation of approximately . It travels before draining into the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Lake Athabasca south of Fort Chipewyan. From there, its waters flow north as Rivière des Rochers, then join the Peace River to form the Slave River, which empties into the Great Slave Lake and discharges through the Mackenzie River system into the Arctic Ocean. The cumulative drainage area is . The river flows along icefields and through gorges, offering wildlife habitat on its shores and in adjacent marshes. Throughout its course, it flows through or adjacent to numerous national and provincial parks, including Jasper National Park, Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park, Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park, La Biche River Wildland Provincial Park, Grand Rapids Wildland Provincial Park, Richardson River Dunes Wildland Provincial Park, and Wood Buffalo National Park. Its course is marked by rapids, impeding navigation southwest of Fort McMurray. Numerous communities are located on the banks of the Athabasca River, including Jasper, Brule, Entrance, Hinton, Whitecourt, Fort Assiniboine, Smith, Athabasca, Fort McMurray, and Fort McKay. Tributaries Alberta's Rockies Habel Creek Warwick Creek Quincy Creek Chaba River Dragon Creek Sunwapta River Ranger Creek Fryatt Creek Lick Creek Geraldine Lakes Kerkeslin Creek Hardisty Creek Whirlpool River Astoria River Portal Creek Wabasso Creek Whistlers Creek Tekerra Creek Miette River Pyramid Lake Maligne River Garonne Creek Snaring River Morro Creek Cobblestone Creek Corral Creek Jacques Creek Rocky River Snake Indian River Mountain Creek Fiddle River Supply Creek Oldhouse Creek Prine Creek Maskuta Creek Central Alberta Hardisty Creek Fish Creek Cache Petotte Creek Tiecamp Creek Canyon Creek Ponoka Creek Plante Creek Apetowun Creek Obed