Most of Alberta's waters are drained in a general north or northeastern direction, with six major rivers forming four major
watersheds collecting the water and removing it from the province: • The
Peace River and
Athabasca River flow north and east, meeting in the massive
Peace–Athabasca Delta, eventually feeding the
Mackenzie River in south-central
Northwest Territories and draining into the
Arctic Ocean • The
North and
South Saskatchewan Rivers flow east and form the
Saskatchewan River in central
Saskatchewan, flowing into
Lake Winnipeg, which drains into
Hudson Bay on the Arctic/
North Atlantic oceans • There is an
endorheic area between the North and South Saskatchewan basins, the Sounding Creek system, where most of the water drains to
Manitou Lake (not to be confused with the more famous
Little Manitou Lake) and evaporates. • The smaller
Beaver River in east-central Alberta flows east into the
Churchill River in north-central
Saskatchewan and then drains into Hudson Bay • The smaller
Milk River in southeast Alberta flows south into the
Missouri River in northeastern
Montana, which joins the
Mississippi River and drains into the
Gulf of Mexico As with other basins on the planet, the topographical highlights in the
drainage divides between these basins can be difficult to discern. For example, there is little elevation change in the short of land between
Lac la Biche and
Beaver Lake, yet the former is in a watershed that drains north into the Arctic Ocean, while the latter is in a watershed that drains east into Hudson Bay. ==Largest lakes==