North Fork Clearwater River
North Fork Clearwater River North Fork of the Clearwater River, The North Fork | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Idaho |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Bitterroot Mountains |
• location | Illinois Peak, Shoshone County |
• coordinates | 47°00′11″N 115°06′16″W / 47.00306°N 115.10444°W |
• elevation | 5,400 ft (1,600 m) |
Mouth | Clearwater River |
• location | Ahsahka, Clearwater County |
• coordinates | 46°30′00″N 116°19′50″W / 46.50000°N 116.33056°W |
• elevation | 980 ft (300 m) |
Length | 135 mi (217 km) |
Basin size | 2,462 sq mi (6,380 km2) |
Discharge | |
• location | Clearwater River |
• average | 5,687.5 cu ft/s (161.05 m3/s) |
• minimum | 799 cu ft/s (22.6 m3/s) |
• maximum | 110,000 cu ft/s (3,100 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Kelly Creek, Wetias Creek |
• right | Little North Fork Clearwater River, Elizabeth Creek |
The North Fork Clearwater River is a major tributary of the Clearwater River in the U.S. state of Idaho.[1] From its headwaters in the Bitterroot Mountains of eastern Idaho, it flows 135 miles (217 km)[2] westward and is dammed by the Dworshak Dam just above its mouth in north-central Idaho. Draining a rugged watershed of 2,462 square miles (6,380 km2), the river has an average flow of over 5,600 cubic feet per second (160 m3/s), accounting for a third of the discharge from the Clearwater basin.[3] The river drains parts of
Course
It rises in the
Flowing northeast then swinging back west, the river receives Skull Creek from the northeast just downstream of the Quartz Creek confluence. Beaver Creek enters from the south and Isabella Creek from the north. With high buttes towering to the north and comparatively gradual mountains rising on the south, the river enters
Watershed
The North Fork Clearwater's watershed covers 2,462 square miles (6,380 km2) of land in the lower
The major tributaries to the North Fork Clearwater River are (proceeding downstream) Kelly Creek,[8] the Little North Fork Clearwater River,[9] and Elk Creek.[10]
On average, streamflow in the North Fork is approximately 5,200 cubic feet per second (150 m3/s), ranging from 1,000 cubic feet per second (28 m3/s) to over 30,000 cubic feet per second (850 m3/s).[11] The
See also
- List of Idaho rivers
- List of longest streams of Idaho
References
- ^ "North Fork Clearwater River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1979-06-21. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 3, 2011
- ^ "North Fork Clearwater River Basin". Idaho Department of Water Resources. www.idwr.idaho.gov. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ Robbins, p. 65.
- ^ a b Map of the North Fork Clearwater River (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. Google Maps. 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ Benke and Cushing, p. 632
- ^ "North Fork Clearwater Basin" (PDF). Idaho Department of Water Resources. Comprehensive State Water Plan Executive Summary. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kelly Creek
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little North Fork Clearwater River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Elk Creek
- ^ "Upper North Fork Clearwater River Subbasin Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Loads" (PDF). Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. www.deq.state.id.us. October 2003. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ "USGS Gage #13341000 on the North Fork Clearwater River at Ahsahka, Idaho". National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1927–1968. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
Works cited
- Benke, Arthur C.; Cushing, Colbert E. (2005). Rivers of North America. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-088253-1.
- Robbins, Chuck (2003). On the Fly Guide to the Northern Rockies. Wilderness Adventures Press. ISBN 1-932098-01-1.