Trask River
Encyclopedia
The Trask River is in northwestern Oregon
in the United States
. It drains a mountainous timber-producing area of the Northern Oregon Coast Range
west of Portland
into Tillamook Bay
and the Pacific Ocean
. It is one of five rivers—the Tillamook
, the Trask, the Wilson
, the Kilchis
, and the Miami
—that flow into the bay.
The main stem of the river is 18 miles (29 km) long from where its two forks join at 45.4398304°N 123.6115058°W. The North Fork, 30 miles (48.3 km) long, rises in several forks itself in the Tillamook State Forest
in western Washington County
, west of Forest Grove, Oregon
. It flows generally west into eastern Tillamook County
. The South Fork, 10 miles (16.1 km) long, rises in southern Tillamook County at 45.3489972°N 123.6534486°W and flows generally northward.
The river is known for its runs of Steelhead
and Chinook salmon
.
The river is named for Elbridge Trask
who settled on the shores of Tillamook Bay in 1848. Trask's overland journey was described in the 1960 historical novel Trask by Don Berry
, as well as two sequels. The novels are collectively known as the "Trask novels."
at river mile
(RM) 10.95 or river kilometer (RK) 17.62, just before receiving Cedar Creek from the right.
Thereafter, Gold and Hanenkrat creeks enter from the left and Green Creek from the right. The river receives Mill Creek from the left about 5 miles (8 km) from the mouth. About 1 miles (1.6 km) later, the stream passes under U.S. Route 101
and flows around the southwestern edge of Tillamook. Receiving Hoquarten and Nolan sloughs from the right, it merges with the Tillamook River and flows into Tillamook Bay near Memaloose Point.
(USGS) monitors the flow of the Trask River at a stream gauge
10.95 miles (17.6 km) inland from the mouth of the river. Based on data collected from April 1996 through 2008, the average flow at this gauge is 985 cuft/s. This is from a drainage area of 156 square miles (404 km²), about 89 percent of the total Trask River watershed. The maximum flow recorded there was 22500 cuft/s on November 25, 1999, and the minimum flow was 49 cuft/s on September 11, 2007.
45.4703819°N 123.8826271°W
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It drains a mountainous timber-producing area of the Northern Oregon Coast Range
Northern Oregon Coast Range
The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high...
west of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
into Tillamook Bay
Tillamook Bay
Tillamook Bay is a small inlet of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 6 mi long and 2 mi wide, on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Oregon...
and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is one of five rivers—the Tillamook
Tillamook River
The Tillamook River is a stream, about long, near the coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains an oceanside valley in the foothills of the Northern Oregon Coast Range west of Portland and empties into the Pacific Ocean via Tillamook Bay...
, the Trask, the Wilson
Wilson River (Oregon)
The Wilson River is a stream, about long, that flows from the Northern Oregon Coast Range to Tillamook Bay in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of its Devil's Lake Fork and its South Fork, it runs generally west through the Tillamook State Forest to its mouth near the city of...
, the Kilchis
Kilchis River
The Kilchis River is a stream, about long, near the coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous timbered region of about in the Northern Oregon Coast Range west of Portland....
, and the Miami
Miami River (Oregon)
The Miami River is a stream, approximately long, on the coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains a mountainous timbered region of the Northern Oregon Coast Range west of Portland, into Pacific Ocean....
—that flow into the bay.
The main stem of the river is 18 miles (29 km) long from where its two forks join at 45.4398304°N 123.6115058°W. The North Fork, 30 miles (48.3 km) long, rises in several forks itself in the Tillamook State Forest
Tillamook State Forest
The Tillamook State Forest is a publicly owned forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. Managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry, it is located west of Portland in the Northern Oregon Coast Range, and spans Washington, Tillamook, Yamhill, and Clatsop counties. The forest receives large amounts of...
in western Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, west of Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
. It flows generally west into eastern Tillamook County
Tillamook County, Oregon
Tillamook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. In 2010, the county's population was 25,250...
. The South Fork, 10 miles (16.1 km) long, rises in southern Tillamook County at 45.3489972°N 123.6534486°W and flows generally northward.
The river is known for its runs of 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 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...
.
The river is named for Elbridge Trask
Elbridge Trask
Elbridge Trask was an American fur trapper and mountain man in the Oregon Country. Immortalized by a series of modern historical novels by Don Berry, he is best known as an early white settler along Tillamook Bay on the coast of the U.S. state of Oregon.-Biography:He was born in Beverly,...
who settled on the shores of Tillamook Bay in 1848. Trask's overland journey was described in the 1960 historical novel Trask by Don Berry
Don Berry (author)
Don Berry was an American artist and author best known for his historical novels about early settlers in the Oregon Country.He was born in Minnesota but moved to Oregon as a young man and came to think of himself as a native of that state. He attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon...
, as well as two sequels. The novels are collectively known as the "Trask novels."
Course
The Trask River is formed by the confluence of North Fork Trask River and South Fork Trask River near Trask County Park in the Tillamook State Forest. It is paralleled for much of its length by Trask River Road. Flowing generally west, the river receives Rowe Creek from the left about 16 miles (25.7 km) from the mouth, then Samson Creek from the right about 1 miles (1.6 km) later. Over the next 4 miles (6.4 km) Burton, Blue Ridge, Hatchery, Trowbridge, Little Rock, and Panther creeks all enter from the right. The river passes a United States Geological Survey stream gaugeStream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
at 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) 10.95 or river kilometer (RK) 17.62, just before receiving Cedar Creek from the right.
Thereafter, Gold and Hanenkrat creeks enter from the left and Green Creek from the right. The river receives Mill Creek from the left about 5 miles (8 km) from the mouth. About 1 miles (1.6 km) later, the stream passes under U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 101, a major north–south U.S. Highway, runs through the state along the coastline near the Pacific Ocean. In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon–California border, south of Brookings, to the Oregon–Washington border on the Columbia River, between Astoria,...
and flows around the southwestern edge of Tillamook. Receiving Hoquarten and Nolan sloughs from the right, it merges with the Tillamook River and flows into Tillamook Bay near Memaloose Point.
Discharge
The United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
(USGS) monitors the flow of the Trask River at a stream gauge
Stream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
10.95 miles (17.6 km) inland from the mouth of the river. Based on data collected from April 1996 through 2008, the average flow at this gauge is 985 cuft/s. This is from a drainage area of 156 square miles (404 km²), about 89 percent of the total Trask River watershed. The maximum flow recorded there was 22500 cuft/s on November 25, 1999, and the minimum flow was 49 cuft/s on September 11, 2007.
External links
45.4703819°N 123.8826271°W