The largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, the Columbia rises in the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains at essentially the same place which gives rise to the Kootenay River. From a point just north of the town of Canal Flats the Columbia flows north while the Kootenay flows south, the two ultimately meeting after long and tortuous journeys at Castlegar, BC. 1,243 miles miles from Canal Flats the Columbia empties into the Pacific at Astoria, Oregon. Along its length are no less than 14 hydroelectric dams, with a great many more (something like 46) on its tributaries.
The first explorer to enter the river was
Robert Gray, in 1792 in the ship
Columbia Rediviva, after which the river was named.
The [Kicking Horse] river was named in 1858, when James Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, reported being kicked by his packhorse while exploring the river. Hector named the river and the associated pass as a result of the incident.
From Wiki
The Kicking Horse River, though by this time a sizable river, takes a much shorter journey before contributing to the Columbia. It begins at the outlet of Wapta Lake, just west of the Alberta border, which is also the Continental Divide, and flows southwest to Wapta Falls, where it turns northwest, continuing in that general direction until its meeting with the Columbia, some 50 miles later. It was the first river in BC to be recognized as a Canadian Heritage River.
In the photo below, looking generally north-northwest, the Columbia flows by on the left from left to right (south to north), while the Kicking Horse enters stage right, with the two meeting in the upper centre of the photo. You're looking over a gravel bar in the middle of the Kicking Horse.
The viewpoint is a short walk north from Field Road and a parking lot where the road turns south. There is a small picnic area and an informational sign across the road from the parking lot.
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