For other uses, see Entiat (disambiguation).

The Entiat River is a tributary of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

, joining the Columbia near Entiat

Entiat, Washington

Entiat is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,112 at the 2010 census.-History:Entiat was officially incorporated on April 25, 1944...

. The USGS lists two variant names for the Entiat River: En-ti-at-kwa River and Entiatqua River. En-ti-at-kwa is noted as being the original "Indian name", meaning "rapid water". The name, spelled "Entiat", was selected for the river in 1958 by the Chelan County Public Utility District.

The Entiat River is located entirely within Chelan County, in Washington state in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Over 90% of the drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Entiat River and its tributaries is publicly-owned property, mostly the Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...

. A large number of place names in the Entiat River basin were given by Albert H. Sylvester

Albert Hale Sylvester

Albert Hale Slyvester was a pioneer surveyor, explorer, and forest supervisor in the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Washington. He was a topographer for the United States Geological Survey in the Snoqualmie Ranger District between 1897 and 1907...

.

Course

The Entiat River's headwaters lie in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Glacier Peak Wilderness

The Glacier Peak Wilderness, created by the US Forest Service in 1960 by efforts of the , four years before the 1964 wilderness legislation of the Congress, is located within portions of Chelan County, Snohomish County, and Skagit Counties in the North Cascades of Washington...

 of the Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...

. Its main source comes from the slopes of Mount Maude

Mount Maude

Mount Maude is a peak in the Entiat Mountains, a subrange of the North Cascades, in Washington state, USA. It is in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, at the headwaters of the Entiat River. The peak was given its name by Albert H. Sylvester in honor of Frederick Stanley Maude....

 and Seven Fingered Jack

Seven Fingered Jack

Seven Fingered Jack is a mountain in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located at the north end of the Entiat Mountains, a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It is part of a three-peak group called the Entiat Cirque which includes Mount Maude and Mount Fernow. Seven Fingered...

, and Entiat Glacier. From there the river flows east through Entiat Meadows before turning south. It flows south and southeast between the Entiat Mountains

Entiat Mountains

The Entiat Mountains, or Entiat Range is a mountain range in the U.S. state of Washington. Located west of the Columbia River, north of the Wenatchee River, and south of the Entiat River, the range is part of the North Cascades section of the Cascade Range. The Entiat Range is relatively narrow...

 on the west and the Chelan Mountains

Chelan Mountains

The Chelan Mountains, or Chelan Range is a mountain range in the U.S. state of Washington. Located west of the Columbia River, north of the Entiat River, and south of the Lake Chelan, the range is part of the North Cascades section of the Cascade Range...

 on the east.

Downstream from the main river's confluence with the North Fork Entiat River, the Entiat River falls over Entiat Falls. It collects the waters of many small tributary creeks, including the Mad River

Mad River (Washington)

The Mad River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises in the Cascade Mountains and flows southeast to join the Entiat River. It is part of the Columbia River basin, being a tributary of the Entiat River, which empties into the Columbia River....

.

In its final miles, the Entiat River turns east to join the Columbia River at Columbia river mile

River mile

In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...

 483.7, just south of the small city of Entiat. At this point the Columbia River is a reservoir created by Rocky Reach Dam. The reservoir's name is Lake Entiat.

Flora and fauna

The Entiat River supports populations of Chinook salmon

Chinook salmon

The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...

, steelhead trout, and bull trout

Bull trout

The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....

. The populations are relatively small due to the scarcity of juvenile-rearing habitat in the lower Entiat River.