Bow River, Alberta, Canada, watercolor on 140lb canvas. The Bow River is a stunning and historically significant waterway in Alberta, Canada, stretching approximately 587 kilometres from its glacial origins at Bow Lake in Banff National Park, through the Rocky Mountains, and across the southern prairies before joining the Oldman River to form the South Saskatchewan River. Named after the reeds Indigenous peoples harvested along its banks to craft bows, the river flows through iconic communities including Banff, Canmore, and Calgary, where it serves as the city's geographic and cultural heart. Along its course, the Bow transforms dramatically — from cold, turquoise mountain torrents rushing through forested canyons to a wide, meandering prairie river — and is world-renowned for its exceptional wild trout fly fishing. It supports rich wildlife, provides drinking water and irrigation for southern Alberta, and was central to the catastrophic 2013 flood that caused widespread damage across the Calgary region.