The South Fork Coos River is a tributary, about 32 miles (51.5 km) long, of the Coos River

Coos River

The Coos River flows for about into Coos Bay along the Pacific coast of southwest Oregon in the United States. Formed by the confluence of its major tributaries, the South Fork Coos River and the Millicoma River, it drains an important timber-producing region of the Southern Oregon Coast Range...

 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 Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. Formed by the confluence of the Williams River

Williams River (Oregon)

The Williams River is a tributary, about long, of the South Fork Coos River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of Lost Creek and Little Cow Creek, it begins in western Douglas County near the Coos County line and flows generally northwest through the Southern Oregon Coast Range...

 and Tioga Creek, it begins in eastern Coos County near the Douglas County

Douglas County, Oregon

-National protected areas:* Crater Lake National Park * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Siuslaw National Forest * Umpqua National Forest * Willamette National Forest -Adjacent counties:* Lane County, Oregon -...

 line and flows generally northwest through the Southern Oregon Coast Range

Southern Oregon Coast Range

The Southern Oregon Coast Range is the southernmost section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in the southwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Umpqua River and the middle fork of the Coquille River, beyond which are the Klamath...

. East of the city of Coos Bay

Coos Bay, Oregon

Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area...

, it joins the Millicoma River

Millicoma River

The Millicoma River is a coast stream, about long, east of Coos Bay in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the East Fork Millicoma River and the West Fork Millicoma River at Allegany, it meanders across relatively flat land to meet the South Fork Coos River, with which it forms...

 to form the Coos River. This larger river, only about 5 miles (8 km) long, empties into the eastern end of Coos Bay

Coos Bay

Coos Bay is an S-shaped inlet where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, approximately 10 miles long and two miles wide, on the Pacific Ocean coast of southwestern Oregon in the United States. The estuary is situated south of the Salmon River. The city of Coos Bay, once named Marshfield, was...

, which connects to the Pacific Ocean.

Course

From its source, the river flows north through forests, receiving Mink Creek from the left. About 3 miles (5 km) further downstream, the river turns west, and Fall Creek enters from the right. Over the next stretch, Coal and Fannin creeks enter from the left and Elk Creek from the right. The river then turns south before Rock Crusher and Burma creeks enter from the left at about 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...

 (RM) 20 or river kilometer (RK) 32. Turning west, the river receives Cox Creek from the left.

After the river turns north again, it receives Big Creek from the right then meanders west, receiving East and West creeks from the right and Salmon Creek from the left at about RM 9 (RK 14). Over the next stretch, McKnight Creek enters from the right before the river reaches the community of Dellwood

Dellwood, Oregon

Dellwood is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is located about 12 miles east of Coos Bay, east of Oregon Route 241 on the South Fork Coos River....

, which is on the right. Bessey Creek enters from the right and then Rogers Creek from the right about 4 miles (6 km) from the mouth

River delta

A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

. Morgan Creek enters from the left before the West Fork Coos River passes under Landrith Bridge and South Coos River Lane and meets the Millicoma River. South Coos River Lane runs along the stream to the vicinity of Dellwood, and the rest of the river is accessible by logging roads.

Recreation

The river supports populations of shad

Shad

The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....

, 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...

 and 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:...

, steelhead

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

, and 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...

. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats....

 operates a steelhead hatchery

Hatchery

A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...

 near Dellwood. Above Dellwood, the stream is accessible by roads on land owned by Weyerhauser, a timber company, and parking or fishing along the upper river requires a Weyerhouser permit. Below the head of tide

Head of tide

Head of tide is the farthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations. This applies to rivers which flow into tidal bodies such as oceans, bays and sloughs. Though this point may vary due to storms and seasonal or annual differences in water flows, there is generally an...

 at Dellwood, it is possible to fish from the bank near the mouth of Daniels Creek, and boaters can fish the entire lower river.

Whitewater

Whitewater

Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...

boaters sometimes run a 6.1 miles (9.8 km) stretch of the river beginning about 12 miles (19.3 km) upstream of Dellwood. Weyerhauser, which owns the land through which this part of the river flows, restricts boating access to weekends only.

Works cited

• Giordano, Pete (2004). Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers, 4th ed. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-815-9.
• McArthur, Lewis A., and McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names, 7th ed. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
• Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide, 10th ed. Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.