| Dudidontu River | |
| Pushpin Map: | British Columbia |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of Dudidontu River |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | British Columbia |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cassiar Land District |
| Length: | 112km (70miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 15.4m3/s |
| Source1: | Level Mountain Range |
| Source1 Location: | Nahlin Plateau |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 58.4033°N -131.4483°W[1] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1710m (5,610feet) |
| Mouth: | Nahlin River |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 58.7894°N -131.9847°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 387m (1,270feet)[2] |
| Basin Size: | 964km2, |
| Custom Label: | Topo maps |
The Dudidontu River is a tributary of the Nahlin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It joins the Nahlin River, which forms the Inklin River, one of the main tributaries of the Taku River. The Dudidontu River's watershed covers 964km2, and its mean annual discharge is 15.4m3/s.[3] Almost half of the Dudidontu's flow comes from its main tributary, Kakuchuya Creek, and Kakuchuya Creek's main tributary, Matsatu Creek.[3] The mouth of the Dudidontu River is located about 150km (90miles) northeast of Juneau, Alaska and about 110km (70miles) northwest of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia.
The Dudidontu River is in the traditional territory of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, part of the Tlingit people.[4]
The Dudidontu River originates near the headwaters of the Little Tahltan River and Egnell Creek, in the Level Mountain Range on the Nahlin Plateau.[5] From its source the river flows west in a U-shaped valley of Level Mountain,[5] [6] then south, then by Ketchum Lake, where the Dudidontu turns and flows generally north for the rest of its length, about 112km (70miles) in total.[7] It flows by Camp Island Lake and between Level Mountain and the Heart Peaks. It is joined by its main tributary, Kakuchuya Creek, and Kakuchuya Creek's main tributary Matsatu Creek, both of which flow from Level Mountain.
The middle Dudidontu River, from Camp Island Lake to 6.4km (04miles) below Kakuchuya Creek, meanders through a wide floodplain, providing excellent spawning habitat for Chinook salmon. Below this section the lower Dudidontu flows through a 19.2km (11.9miles) long canyon with steep slopes of mud, boulders, and shale, with no vegetation. This section of the river is a series of almost continuous heavy rapids.[8]
The Dudidontu River's watershed's land cover is classified as 37.9% shrubland, 25.3% conifer forest, 22.6% barren, and small amounts of other cover.[3]