Issaquah Creek
Encyclopedia
Issaquah Creek is a small stream flowing through the city of Issaquah
and nearby communities, in the U.S. state
of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes Cougar
, Squak
, Tiger
, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps
. Tributaries of Issaquah Creek include Holder Creek, Carey Creek, Fifteen-mile Creek, McDonald Creek, East Fork Issaquah Creek, and North Fork Issaquah Creek. The creek empties into the south end of Lake Sammamish
. The lake's outlet is the Sammamish River
, which in turn empties into Lake Washington
and ultimately Puget Sound
.
Issaquah Creek's drainage basin
is over 75% forest land and less than 10% urbanized or cleared. The basin is one of the three most significant in urbanizing King County
. The upper and middle portions of the basin have been identified as a Regionally Significant Resource area due to their exceptional fish habitat and undeveloped character. The entire basin is an important salmon
migration and spawning area. Carry Creek and Holder Creek, in the upper Issaquah Creek basin, provide particularly excellent salmonid habitat.
Every October people gather on its shores to watch the salmon traveling upstream. Fishing in Issaquah Creek is only practiced legally by the local Native Americans
.
Issaquah Creek and its tributaries support chinook
, coho
, and sockeye
salmon (both anadromous sockeye and resident kokanee), cutthroat trout
, and Lake Washington steelhead trout. Chinook and coho are reared by the state Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, located three miles upstream from the creek's mouth. The hatchery has been releasing chinook salmon into Issaquah Creek since 1936. In recent years approximately two million chinook smolts are released each year.
Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
and nearby communities, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes Cougar
Cougar Mountain
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is a regional park in King County, Washington, near the towns of Bellevue and Issaquah. The park was established in June 1983 to protect the central core of Cougar Mountain...
, Squak
Squak Mountain
Squak Mountain is the second most westerly mountain of the Issaquah Alps mountain chain in Washington state. It is situated between Cougar Mountain to the west and Tiger Mountain to the east. Interstate 90 parallels the base of the north side of the mountain. Much of the Squak Mountain watershed...
, Tiger
Tiger Mountain
Tiger Mountain is a mountain in the U.S. state of Washington.-The mountain:The mountain has six peaks in the center of the Issaquah Alps forming a triangle between Interstate 90 on the north, the Issaquah-Hobart Road on the southwest, and State Route 18 on the southeast...
, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps
Issaquah Alps
The Issaquah Alps are the highlands near Issaquah, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, including Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge...
. Tributaries of Issaquah Creek include Holder Creek, Carey Creek, Fifteen-mile Creek, McDonald Creek, East Fork Issaquah Creek, and North Fork Issaquah Creek. The creek empties into the south end of Lake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in...
. The lake's outlet is the Sammamish River
Sammamish River
The Sammamish River flows through north King County, Washington for about , draining Lake Sammamish into Lake Washington...
, which in turn empties into Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
and ultimately Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
.
Issaquah Creek's 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...
is over 75% forest land and less than 10% urbanized or cleared. The basin is one of the three most significant in urbanizing King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
. The upper and middle portions of the basin have been identified as a Regionally Significant Resource area due to their exceptional fish habitat and undeveloped character. The entire basin is an important salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
migration and spawning area. Carry Creek and Holder Creek, in the upper Issaquah Creek basin, provide particularly excellent salmonid habitat.
Every October people gather on its shores to watch the salmon traveling upstream. Fishing in Issaquah Creek is only practiced legally by the local Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.
Issaquah Creek and its tributaries support chinook
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...
, coho
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
, and sockeye
Sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
salmon (both anadromous sockeye and resident kokanee), cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
, and Lake Washington steelhead trout. Chinook and coho are reared by the state Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, located three miles upstream from the creek's mouth. The hatchery has been releasing chinook salmon into Issaquah Creek since 1936. In recent years approximately two million chinook smolts are released each year.
Further reading
Manning, Harvey.50+ Trails of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, Squak Mountain State Park, Lake Sammanmish State Park, Coal Creek Park, May Creek Park.Issaquah: Issaquah Alps Trails Club , 1985.External links
- Issaquah Creek Subarea Map, King County Water & Land Resources Division
- Issaquah Creek Basin Map, King County DNRP/WLR GIS