The Quesnel River / k w ɪ ˈ n ɛ l / is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia . It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake , at the town of Likely and flows for about 100 kilometres (60 mi) northwest to its confluence with the Fraser at the city of Quesnel .
5-819: The Cariboo River is a tributary of the Quesnel River , one of the main tributaries of the Fraser River , in the Canadian province of British Columbia . It flows through the Cariboo region of the British Columbia Interior , southeast of Prince George . Above Cariboo Lake it was formerly known as the Swamp River. The name was adopted, and replaced the former names, in 1936 in association with Cariboo Lake. The Cariboo River's headwaters flow from many large ice fields in
10-778: The Cariboo Mountains . It flows generally west, picking up numerous tributary streams, many also draining ice fields. After entering Bowron Lake Provincial Park , the Cariboo is joined by the Isaac River from the north, after which the Cariboo widens into Lanezi Lake, south of the Mowdish Range . At its western end Lanezi Lake empties into Sandy Lake, from which the Cariboo River flows first northwest, then abruptly south. It leaves Bowron Lake Provincial Park. The Matthew River then joins from
15-666: The confluence of the Cariboo River , is the historically important ghost town of Quesnel Forks , a.k.a. "the Forks", which was a junction point of the Quesnel and Cariboo Rivers. Various trails and wagon roads leading to the Cariboo goldfields lay across the low-hill range north of Quesnel Forks in the basin of the Cottonwood River . Both the Lillooet to Fort Alexandria wagon road and
20-538: The east. Farther south the Little River also joins from the east, after which the Cariboo River flows through Cariboo Lake . Cariboo River Provincial Park occupies the river valley north of Cariboo Lake. The Cariboo River flows south from Cariboo Lake, then turns west and empties into the Quesnel River at Quesnel Forks, northwest of Likely . Quesnel River Just downstream from the outlet of Quesnel Lake, at
25-799: The later Cariboo Wagon Road came by Quesnel Forks but preferred to follow the valley of the Quesnel River to Quesnel and then east from there to the gold towns of Barkerville and Wells . The river took its name from Jules-Maurice Quesnel , who explored this region with Simon Fraser in 1808. The Quesnel River supports a number of fish species, the most significant of which are Sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ), Rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), Largescale sucker ( Catostomus macrocheilus ), Longnose sucker ( Catostomus catostomus ), Redside shiner ( Richardsonius balteatus ), Northern pikeminnow ( Ptychocheilus oregonensis ), Peamouth chub ( Mylocheilus caurinus ), and Lake chub ( Couesius plumbeus ). The salmon run of sockeye salmon experienced
#854145