The Pembina River is a tributary of the Athabasca River in central Alberta, Canada. "Pembina" is a Canadian French name for the high bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum). The river gives the name to the Pembina oil field, an oil- and gas-producing region centered on Drayton Valley. The environmentalist group Pembina Institute also took its name from the river.
Course
The Pembina River originates in the Canadian Rockies foothills, west of Pembina Forks, at the base of Redcap Mountain. It flows eastwards for before it merges with the Athabasca River west of the town of Athabasca, and has a drainage area of . Water originating in the Pembina River goes through numerous merges until reaching the Mackenzie River, discharging into the Arctic Ocean.
Communities along the Pembina River include Westlock, Sangudo, Entwistle and Evansburg. Pembina River Provincial Park is along the gorges of the river between Evansburg and Entwistle. Another protected area along the river is the Pembina River Natural Area, northeast of Cherhill in aspen parkland.
Tributaries
Rat Creek
Bailey Creek
Hanson Creek
Crooked Creek
Centre Creek
Lovett River
Moose Lake
Lund Creek
Fairfax Lake
Errot Lake
Dismal Creek
Wolf Creek
Wolf Lake
Zeta Lake
Rat Creek
Paddy Creek
Sinkhole Lake
Bigoray River
Mishow Creek
Lobstick River
Chip Lake, Deep Creek, Alpha Lake, Poison Creek, Beta Lake, Sunset Lake, Brule Creek, Little Brule Creek Michaud Lake Coyote Lake Creek Ice Lake Oldman Lake MacDonald Creek Lac La Nonne Newton Creek Newton Lake, George Lake, Kirchner Lake Paddle River Paddle River Reservoir, Little Paddle River Wabash Creek Fernand Lake Dapp Creek Lac des Jones, Bolloque Creek, Muskeg Lake Shoal Creek Shoal Lake, Baird Lake, Camp Creek Crane Lake Killsyth Creek Killsyth Lake Flatbrush Creek
Numerous small lakes such as Brock Lake, Oldman Lake, Majeau Lake, Lac La Nonne, George Lake, Armstrong Lake, Shoal Lake, Steele Lake, Cross Lake are also located within the river's basin.