North Fork Clearwater River
Encyclopedia
The North Fork Clearwater River is a major tributary of the Clearwater River
in the U.S. state
of Idaho
.
From its headwaters in the Bitterroot Mountains
of eastern Idaho, it flows 135 miles (217.3 km) southwest, north, then again southwest, and is dammed by the Dworshak Dam
just above its mouth at the Clearwater in central Idaho. Draining 2462 mi2 of mountainous and scantly populated terrain, the river has an average flow of over 3510 cuft/s at its mouth, over one-fifth of the average flow of the Clearwater.
The river drains parts of Clearwater
, Shoshone
, Latah
, and Idaho counties, on primarily U.S. Forest Service land.
, which form the far eastern border of the State of Idaho, on the Idaho-Montana
border. The headwaters are on the south flank of the triple summits of Graves Peak, Illinois Peak and Gold Crown Peak, very near a small pond that is the source of the St. Joe River, which flows into Coeur d'Alene Lake. The river immediately flows southwest through a narrow gorge, joined by numerous small tributaries. The river turns southeast to join Long Creek and Lake Creek, which flow in from the east. After joining these two large creeks, the river turns west, then receives Elizabeth Creek from the right as it veers to the south. It then flows at a 90-degree angle into a wider valley, where it receives its largest tributary thus far, 25 miles (40.2 km) Kelly Creek, from the left near an unincorporated community, and turns west and southwest, paralleled by Forest Service Road #250. It then receives Quartz Creek from the right.
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 Dworshak Reservoir, formed by the massive Dworshak Dam
. About 8 miles (12.9 km) later, the flooded canyon meets the canyon of the Little North Fork Clearwater River on the right, which is also flooded for some distance. Still narrow and winding, following the river's original course, the reservoir branches to the south and spreads wider as it enters more gradual terrain. Reeds Creek enters as the canyon swings west, and an arm of the reservoir branches off to flood part of the Elk Creek Canyon to the north. The reservoir then ends at the Dworshak Dam, a 717 ft (218.5 m) high concrete gravity dam. Exiting the dam the river runs east-southeast, crosses under Idaho State Route 7, and meets the Clearwater River at Ahsahka
.
. The watershed is approximately 26.6 percent of the 9645 mi2 Clearwater River watershed, itself a tributary of the Snake River
. The drainage area of the St. Joe River abuts the North Fork drainage to the north, Latah Creek
to the northeast, the Middle Fork Clearwater to the east and south, the South Fork Clearwater and Snake River to the south, and the Potlatch River
and Clearwater to the west. The basin is very lightly populated - the largest and only incorporated town is Elk River, Idaho
, population 149. The logging
industry makes up the primary economy of the North Fork's watershed.
The major tributaries to the North Fork Clearwater River are (proceeding downstream) Kelly Creek, the Little North Fork Clearwater River, and Elk Creek.
On average, streamflow in the North Fork is approximately 5200 cuft/s, ranging from 1000 cuft/s to over 30000 cuft/s.
The USGS operated a stream gauge near the mouth of the river from 1927 to 1968. In that time period, the highest recorded flow was 100000 cuft/s on December 23, 1933. The lowest peak was 12200 cuft/s on 18 May 1941.
Clearwater River (Idaho)
The Clearwater River is a river in north central Idaho, which flows westward from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho-Montana border, and joins the Snake River at Lewiston. In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe...
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 Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
From its headwaters in the Bitterroot Mountains
Bitterroot Mountains
The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains, is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the panhandle of Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States...
of eastern Idaho, it flows 135 miles (217.3 km) southwest, north, then again southwest, and is dammed by the Dworshak Dam
Dworshak Dam
Dworshak Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete gravity dam in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States on the North Fork Clearwater River. The dam is located northwest of the city of Orofino, and east of Lewiston. The dam is the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere and the 22nd...
just above its mouth at the Clearwater in central Idaho. Draining 2462 mi2 of mountainous and scantly populated terrain, the river has an average flow of over 3510 cuft/s at its mouth, over one-fifth of the average flow of the Clearwater.
The river drains parts of Clearwater
Clearwater County, Idaho
Clearwater County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1911, the county was named after the Clearwater River. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 8,930 . The county seat is Orofino....
, Shoshone
Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...
, Latah
Latah County, Idaho
Latah County is a county located in the north central region of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 37,244 at the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city is Moscow, which is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's flagship and land-grant university...
, and Idaho counties, on primarily U.S. Forest Service land.
Course
It rises in the Bitterroot MountainsBitterroot Mountains
The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains, is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the panhandle of Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States...
, which form the far eastern border of the State of Idaho, on the Idaho-Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
border. The headwaters are on the south flank of the triple summits of Graves Peak, Illinois Peak and Gold Crown Peak, very near a small pond that is the source of the St. Joe River, which flows into Coeur d'Alene Lake. The river immediately flows southwest through a narrow gorge, joined by numerous small tributaries. The river turns southeast to join Long Creek and Lake Creek, which flow in from the east. After joining these two large creeks, the river turns west, then receives Elizabeth Creek from the right as it veers to the south. It then flows at a 90-degree angle into a wider valley, where it receives its largest tributary thus far, 25 miles (40.2 km) Kelly Creek, from the left near an unincorporated community, and turns west and southwest, paralleled by Forest Service Road #250. It then receives Quartz Creek from the right.
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 Dworshak Reservoir, formed by the massive Dworshak Dam
Dworshak Dam
Dworshak Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete gravity dam in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States on the North Fork Clearwater River. The dam is located northwest of the city of Orofino, and east of Lewiston. The dam is the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere and the 22nd...
. About 8 miles (12.9 km) later, the flooded canyon meets the canyon of the Little North Fork Clearwater River on the right, which is also flooded for some distance. Still narrow and winding, following the river's original course, the reservoir branches to the south and spreads wider as it enters more gradual terrain. Reeds Creek enters as the canyon swings west, and an arm of the reservoir branches off to flood part of the Elk Creek Canyon to the north. The reservoir then ends at the Dworshak Dam, a 717 ft (218.5 m) high concrete gravity dam. Exiting the dam the river runs east-southeast, crosses under Idaho State Route 7, and meets the Clearwater River at Ahsahka
Ahsahka, Idaho
Ahsahka is a small town located in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States, and is close to the Dworshak Dam.-References:...
.
Watershed
The North Fork Clearwater's watershed covers 2462 mi2 of land in the lower Idaho PanhandleIdaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
. The watershed is approximately 26.6 percent of the 9645 mi2 Clearwater River watershed, itself a tributary of the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
. The drainage area of the St. Joe River abuts the North Fork drainage to the north, Latah Creek
Latah Creek
Latah Creek, also known as Hangman Creek, is a large stream in eastern Washington and north central Idaho in the United States. The creek flows northwest from the Rocky Mountains to Spokane, where it empties into the Spokane River...
to the northeast, the Middle Fork Clearwater to the east and south, the South Fork Clearwater and Snake River to the south, and the Potlatch River
Potlatch River
The Potlatch River is in the state of Idaho in the United States. About long, it is the lowermost major tributary to the Clearwater River, a tributary of the Snake River that is in turn a tributary of the Columbia River...
and Clearwater to the west. The basin is very lightly populated - the largest and only incorporated town is Elk River, Idaho
Elk River, Idaho
Elk River is a city in Clearwater County, Idaho, United States. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elk River is located at ....
, population 149. The logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
industry makes up the primary economy of the North Fork's watershed.
The major tributaries to the North Fork Clearwater River are (proceeding downstream) Kelly Creek, the Little North Fork Clearwater River, and Elk Creek.
On average, streamflow in the North Fork is approximately 5200 cuft/s, ranging from 1000 cuft/s to over 30000 cuft/s.
The USGS operated a stream gauge near the mouth of the river from 1927 to 1968. In that time period, the highest recorded flow was 100000 cuft/s on December 23, 1933. The lowest peak was 12200 cuft/s on 18 May 1941.
Works cited
- Benke, Arthur C.; Cushing, Colbert E. (2005). Rivers of North America. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12088-253-1.
- Robbins, Chuck (2003). On the Fly Guide to the Northern Rockies. Wilderness Adventures Press. ISBN 1-93209-801-1.