How Long Is the Mackenzie River?

The Mackenzie River, which flows through the Canadian wilderness, is the fifth-longest river in the world, second largest in North America and the longest in Canada.

History

The native Den People called the river "Deh Cho" or "Big River." Before Lewis and Clark made their famous journey, another man crossed North America. In the late 1700s, Alexander Mackenzie was the first man to make the coast-to-coast trip, following this river west to reach the Pacific Ocean. He named the river "The Disappointment" when it led him to the Arctic Ocean on his first try.

Length

The Mackenzie River begins at the Great Slave Lake in northwest Canada and flows mostly northwest 1,120 miles through forests and tundra.

Width

The Mackenzie River is one to two miles wide.

Watershed Size

The watershed from the Mackenzie River is 697,000 square miles, covering an area larger than Alaska. In fact, its watershed covers 1/5 of Canada.

Fun Fact

There is a much smaller river with the same name in Oregon. It's only 68 miles long and runs from the town of Sisters in eastern Oregon to Springfield on the west side. The river has salmon, steelhead and trout.

References

• Mackenzie River Watershed
• Mackenzie River History
• McKenzie River, Oregon