North Fork Wenaha River

The North Fork Wenaha River is a tributary, 16 miles (26 km) long, of the Wenaha River in the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon.[4] The river begins in the Blue Mountains in Columbia County, Washington, and flows generally southeast through the Wenaha–Tucannon Wilderness to meet the South Fork Wenaha River in Wallowa County, Oregon. The combined forks form the main stem Wenaha, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River.[5]

North Fork Wenaha River
Location of the mouth of the North Fork Wenaha River in Oregon
EtymologyPerhaps from a Cayuse language placename[1]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington, Oregon
CountyColumbia, Wallowa
Physical characteristics
SourceBlue Mountains
 • locationWenaha–Tucannon Wilderness, Columbia County, Washington
 • coordinates46°02′38″N 117°54′39″W[2]
 • elevation5,885 ft (1,794 m)[3]
MouthWenaha River
 • location
Wenaha Forks, Wallowa County, Oregon
 • coordinates
45°57′02″N 117°47′41″W[2]
 • elevation
2,808 ft (856 m)[2]
Length16 mi (26 km)[4]

The river has only one named tributary, Deep Saddle Creek, which enters from the right slightly upstream of the Washington–Oregon border. The South Fork Wenaha River also enters from the right.[5]

Chinook salmon and steelhead spawn in the North Fork, and the wilderness near the river provides habitat for diverse species. These include bighorn sheep, elk, bald eagles, cougars, American black bears, among others.[4]

See also

References
  1. Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 561. ISBN 0-8061-3576-X.
  2. "North Fork Wenaha River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  3. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
  5. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 21, 2015 – via Acme Mapper.


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