In the 21st century, major highways follow the river, and roads cross the main stem on approximately 30 different bridges. In addition to sharing some of those, more than half a dozen bridges not open to motorized vehicles provide separate crossings for bicycles and pedestrians (mostly in the Eugene area), and several others are exclusively for rail traffic. There are also ferries that convey cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians across the river for a fare and provided river conditions permit. They are the Buena Vista Ferry between Marion County and Polk County south of Independence and Salem, the Wheatland Ferry between Marion County and Polk County north of Salem and Keizer, and Canby Ferry in Clackamas County north of Canby.
Introduction
Willamette River
Willamette River | Introduction
Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest region of North America It originates in the mountains south and southeast of Eugene, Oregon. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia. In the mountains south and southeast of Eugene, Oregon.
where is the headwaters of the willamette river
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The upper tributaries of the Willamette originate in the mountains south and southeast of Eugene, Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the Middle Fork Willamette River and the Coast Fork Willamette River near Springfield, the main stem Willamette meanders generally north for to the Columbia River. The river's two most significant course deviations occur at Newberg, where it turns sharply east, and about downstream from Newberg, where it turns north again. Near its mouth north of downtown Portland, the river splits into two channels that flow around Sauvie Island. Used for navigation purposes, these channels are managed by the U.S.
Willamette River | Course
The Willamette River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The upper tributaries of the Willamette originate in mountains south and southeast of the twin cities of Eugene and Springfield. Formed by the confluence of the Middle Fork Willamette River and Coast Fork Willamette River near Springfield, the main stem meanders generally north from source to mouth. The river's two most significant course deviations occur at Newberg, where the stream turns sharply east, and about downriver from Newberg, where it turns north again. Near its mouth, the river splits into two channels that flow around Sauvie Island.
Course of the Willamette River | Introduction
The main stem of the Willamette varies in width from about .
Course of the Willamette River | Introduction
The elevation at the source of the mainstem Willamette is above sea level.
Course of the Willamette River | Contributing forks
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia. Originally created by plate tectonics about 35 million years ago and subsequently altered by volcanism and erosion, the river's drainage basin was significantly modified by the Missoula Floods at the end of the most recent ice age.
Willamette River | Introduction
The Little Willamette River is a minor tributary of the Willamette River in Linn County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in a gravel pit slightly east of the main stem in a bend of the larger river west of Albany. Flowing generally northeast and roughly parallel to the main stem for about , it enters the Willamette about from the larger river's mouth on the Columbia River. Along its lower course, the Little Willamette flows through Bowers Rock State Park, a tract in a riparian forest. The park, largely undeveloped, with primitive trails and no amenities, is part of the Willamette Greenway.
Little Willamette River | Introduction
The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point 101 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Steamboats of the Willamette River | Introduction
The Willamette River drains a region of , which is 12 percent of the total area of Oregon. Bounded by the Coast Range to the west and the Cascade Range to the east, the river basin is about long and wide. Elevations within the watershed range from at Mount Jefferson in the Cascade Range to at the mouth on the Columbia River. Watersheds bordering the Willamette River basin are those of the Little Deschutes River to the southeast, the Deschutes River to the east, and the Sandy River to the northeast; the North Umpqua and Umpqua rivers to the south; coastal rivers including (from south to north) the Siuslaw, the Alsea, the Yaquina, the Siletz, the Nestucca, the Trask, and the Wilson to the west; the Nehalem and the Clatskanie to the northwest, and the Columbia River to the north.
Willamette River | Watershed
The elevation at the mouth is about above sea level. The reaches of the river below Willamette Falls are influenced by tidal effects from the Columbia River. Over its entire course, the main stem of the Willamette varies from about in width.
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon from the Columbia River upstream to the confluence of the Middle Fork Willamette River and Coast Fork Willamette River. This confluence, at , is considered the source of the Willamette River.
List of crossings of the Willamette River | Introduction
The only named tributary of the Little Willamette is Coon Creek, which enters from the .
Little Willamette River | Introduction
Below this confluence, the Middle Fork is impounded by two more reservoirs, Lookout Point Reservoir and Dexter Reservoir. Fall Creek enters from the right below Dexter before the Middle Fork joins the Coast Fork in Springfield to form the main stem Willamette River.
Middle Fork Willamette River | Course
Between about 15,500 and 13,000 years ago, the Missoula Floods—a series of large outpourings originating at Glacial Lake Missoula in Montana—swept down the Columbia River and backfilled the Willamette watershed. Each flood produced "discharges that exceeded the annual discharge of all the present-day rivers of the world combined". Filling the Willamette basin to depths of in the Portland region, each flood created a temporary lake, Lake Allison, that stretched from Lake Oswego to near Eugene. The ancestral Tualatin Valley, part of the Willamette basin, flooded as well; water depths ranged from at Lake Oswego to as far upstream (west) as Forest Grove.
Willamette River | Geology
The Willamette River runs through a large stretch of Oregon's Willamette Valley, with the main stem river stretching from south of Eugene to Portland, Oregon. Along its 187 plus miles, the river is impacted by a range of issues, from toxic pollutants and dams on the river's tributaries, to urban development and industrial waste. In addition to pollution, the habitat of the Willamette River was degraded to a significant extend.
Willamette Riverkeeper | Willamette River
The Middle Fork Willamette River is one of several forks that unite to form the Willamette River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is approximately long, draining an area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, which is at the southern end of the Willamette Valley.
Middle Fork Willamette River | Introduction
(Parts of Portland are also in Washington County, but the Willamette neven makes contact with Washington County.) Significant tributaries include the McKenzie, Long Tom, Marys, Calapooia, Santiam, Luckiamute, Yamhill, Molalla, Tualatin, and Clackamas rivers. Arising at above sea level, the river loses in elevation between source and mouth or about 2.3 feet per mile (43 cm per km). The gradient is slightly steeper from the source to Albany than from Albany to Oregon City. At Willamette Falls, the river plunges about . For the rest of its course, the river is extremely low-gradient and is influenced by Pacific Ocean tidal effects from the Columbia.
Course of the Willamette River | Introduction
Humans began living in the watershed over 10,000 years ago. There were once many tribal villages along the lower river and in the area around its mouth on the Columbia. Indigenous peoples lived throughout the upper reaches of the basin as well. Rich with sediments deposited by flooding and fed by prolific rainfall on the western side of the Cascades, the Willamette Valley is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in North America, and was thus the destination of many 19th-century pioneers traveling west along the Oregon Trail. The river was an important transportation route in the 19th century, although Willamette Falls, just upstream from Portland, was a major barrier to boat traffic.
Willamette River | Introduction
The Middle Fork and the North Fork—a tributary of the Middle Fork—rise on the western side of the Cascades between Three Sisters Wilderness on the north and Diamond Peak Wilderness on the south. Originating in Douglas County, the Middle Fork receives the North Fork northwest of Oakridge in Lane County and flows northwest through the mountains to the southern end of the Willamette Valley. The Coast Fork, draining part of the Calapooya Mountains south of Cottage Grove and part of the eastern slopes of the Oregon Coast Range, begins in Douglas County and flows north to join the Middle Fork about southeast of Eugene.
Course of the Willamette River | Contributing forks
The main channel enters the Columbia about from the larger stream's mouth on the Pacific Ocean, and the smaller Multnomah Channel enters the Columbia about further downstream near St. Helens in Columbia County. Incorporated Cities along the Willamette's course include Springfield and Eugene in Lane County; Harrisburg in Linn County; Corvallis in Benton County; Albany in Linn and Benton counties; Independence in Polk County; Salem in Marion and Polk Counties; Keizer in Marion County; Newberg in Yamhill County; Oregon City, West Linn, Milwaukie, and Lake Oswego in Clackamas County (Small portions of the later two extend into Multnomah County), and Portland in Multnomah County.
Course of the Willamette River | Introduction
Beaver populations, presumed to be much lower than historic levels, are increasing throughout the basin.
Willamette River | Flora and fauna
The upper reach of Garoutte Creek thus became a tributary of Little River. Named tributaries of Little River from source to mouth are Weyerhaeuser Creek, which enters from the right; Cinnabar Creek, left; Trail Creek, right; Garoutte and Blood creeks, left; and Dennis Creek, right.
Little River (Coast Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
The Coast Fork Willamette River is formed in southwestern Lane County, in the Calapooya Mountains, by the confluence of the Little River and the Big River. The Coast Fork flows north through the mountains, through the Cottage Grove Lake reservoir, to Cottage Grove, where it receives the Row River from the southeast. It continues north past Creswell and joins the Middle Fork from the south, about southeast of Eugene, to form the Willamette.
Coast Fork Willamette River | Course
The Coast Fork Willamette River is one of two forks that unite to form the Willamette River in western Oregon in the United States. It is about long, draining an area of the mountains at the south end of the Willamette Valley south of Eugene.
Coast Fork Willamette River | Introduction
The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point from the mouth of the Columbia. In the natural condition of the river, Portland was the farthest point on the river where the water was deep enough to allow ocean-going ships. Rapids further upstream at Clackamas were a hazard to navigation, and all river traffic had to portage around Willamette Falls, where Oregon City had been established as the first major town inland from Astoria.
Steamboats of the Columbia River | Willamette River
The combined waters then flow under Commercial Street and a former Boise Cascade mill to Willamette Slough on the Willamette River.
Pringle Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Course
The Willamette River runs south from its juncture with the Columbia River through the Willamette Valley. The most populous cities of the state of Oregon, as well as its most successful farming regions, are along the Willamette.
Pomona (sternwheeler) | The Willamette River route
Similarly, the river was shortened by 40 percent in the stretch between Harrisburg and Albany. Interstate 5 and three branches of Oregon Route 99 are the two major highways that follow the river for its entire length. Communities along the main stem include Springfield and Eugene in Lane County; Harrisburg in Linn County; Corvallis in Benton County; Albany in Linn and Benton counties; Salem in Marion County; Newberg in Yamhill County; Oregon City, West Linn, Milwaukie, and Lake Oswego in Clackamas County; and Portland in Multnomah and Washington counties. Significant tributaries from source to mouth include the Middle and Coast forks and the McKenzie, Long Tom, Marys, Calapooia, Santiam, Luckiamute, Yamhill, Molalla, Tualatin, and Clackamas rivers.
Willamette River | Course
Below Dayton, the river enters the Willamette at its RM 55 (RK 89) south of Newberg.
Yamhill River | Course
About 24 million years ago at the end of the Oligocene, Oregon had started to look how it is today and the Willamette Bay finally became the Willamette Valley by drying up and being raised above sea level, after assuming a shape much like today's Puget Sound.
Pudding River | Geology
Then come Deception, Dell, Buckhead, Bridge, Tire, Whitehead, Rock, and Hospital creeks.
Middle Fork Willamette River | Tributaries
Willamette ( ), from the Clackamas language of the Columbia River, Oregon, can refer to: A toponym of the U.S. state of Oregon:
Willamette | Introduction
The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about , the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes agricultural and urban areas in its lower third. The river rises in eastern Marion County, about east-southeast of Salem. The headwaters are on the slopes of Olallie Butte in the Mount Hood National Forest, about north of Mount Jefferson, at an elevation of in the Cascade Range. The Clackamas flows briefly north and then flows northwest through the mountains, passing through North Fork Reservoir and Estacada.
Clackamas River | Introduction
About 2.5 million people lived in the Willamette River basin as of 2010, about 65 percent of the population of Oregon. As of 2009, the basin contained 20 of the 25 most populous cities in Oregon. These cities include Springfield, Eugene, Corvallis, Albany, Salem, Keizer, Newberg, Oregon City, West Linn, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, and Portland. The largest is Portland, with more than 500,000 residents. Not all of these cities draw water directly from the Willamette for their municipal water supply. Other cities in the watershed (but not on the main-stem river) with populations of 20,000 or more are Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, McMinnville, Tualatin, Woodburn, and Forest Grove.
Willamette River | Watershed
Fur traders heavily exploited the Willamette River and its tributaries. During this period, the Siskiyou Trail (or California-Oregon Trail) was created. This trading path, over long, stretched from the mouth of the Willamette River near present-day Portland south through the Willamette Valley, crossing the Cascades and the Siskiyou Mountains, and south through the Sacramento Valley to San Francisco.
Willamette River | Fur trade
The Willamette River and Tributaries Gallery Forest ecoregion includes low-gradient, meandering river channels, oxbow lakes, and meander scars incised into the broad floodplains of the Willamette River and its tributaries. Elevation varies from 40 to 500 feet (12 to 150 m). The region includes the historic floodplains of the Willamette River system, which rarely function today due to flood control dams in the upper basin that have reduced the frequency and volume of floods and contributed to the decline of the endemic, endangered Oregon chub. A small section, designated as the Willamette Floodplain, has been protected within the William L.
Willamette Valley (ecoregion) | Willamette River and Tributaries Gallery Forest (3b)
Ranking 19th in volume among U.S. rivers, the Willamette makes up 12 to 15 percent of the total flow of the Columbia River. The flow at the Willamette's mouth averages about , although it varies from about in August during the dry season to more than in December. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) operates four stream gauges along the river, at Harrisburg, Albany, Salem, and Portland. The oldest of these, at Albany, has collected discharge data since the 1880s. A gauge at RM 161 (RK 259) in Harrisburg recorded an average flow of over the 65 years between 1945 and 2009.
Course of the Willamette River | Discharge
Downstream of the island, the city of Newberg is on the left, from the mouth.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
The Calapooia River is an tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Calapooia flows generally northwest from its source in the Cascade Range near Tidbits Mountain. In its upper reaches, it passes through parts of the Willamette National Forest. Further downstream, it flows through Holley then Crawfordsville and Brownsville in the Willamette Valley before joining the Willamette at Albany. The city of Tangent is also near the river on a branch of one of its downstream tributaries, Lake Creek. The confluence of the two rivers is about by water from where the Willamette joins the Columbia River The Calapooia was named for the Kalapuya (also spelled Calapooia), a tribe of Native Americans.
Calapooia River | Introduction
Bull trout formerly inhabited Salt Creek until damage to habitat throughout the Willamette River basin, such as the construction of dams, reduced and eliminated some populations in the Willamette's watershed.
Salt Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
Pringle Creek is a small tributary of the Willamette River that drains a area of Marion County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The entire watershed lies within the urban growth boundary of the City of Salem. Pringle Creek's tributaries include Clark Creek, West Fork Pringle Creek, West Middle Fork and East Fork.
Pringle Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
Over the next stretch, Oregon Route 221 runs roughly parallel to the river and on its left. The river arrives at Spongs Landing County Park, then Spongs Bar and Lincoln Bar before passing Windsor Island and receiving Spring Valley Creek from the left at about RM 75 (RK 121). Slightly further downstream, the Willamette becomes the boundary between Marion County on the right and Yamhill County on the left and receives King Creek from the left. Here Willamette Mission State Park is on the right. Flowing by Beaver Island, on the right, the river reaches the Wheatland Ferry, which carries vehicles traveling on Wheatland Road.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
The Middle Fork Willamette River is formed in northeastern Douglas County by the joining of several small headwater streams near Emigrant Pass. The river flows generally north into Lane County, through the Calapooya Mountains, to the vicinity of Eugene and Springfield, where it joins the Coast Fork Willamette River to form the Willamette River proper. Just south (upriver) of Oakridge, the Middle Fork is impounded in Hills Creek Reservoir, created by Hills Creek Dam. Below the dam, the river receives Salt Creek and then Salmon Creek at Oakridge. At Westfir, the Middle Fork is joined by the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River from the right bank.
Middle Fork Willamette River | Course
Slightly downstream on the right is a USGS gauging station, below which the Willamette flows under the Center Street Bridge and then the Marion Street Bridge, which carry Oregon Route 22 eastbound and westbound, respectively. Then Mill Creek enters from the right, opposite Wallace Marine Park. Still in Salem, the river flows by River Road City Park and Rivers Edge Park, both on the right. North of Salem, the river passes the city of Keizer, which is on the right, before receiving Glenn Creek from the left about from the mouth. On the right at this point is Keizer Rapids Park, and slightly downstream on the left is Darrow Rocks.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
Downstream of the Broadway Bridge, the river flows under the Fremont Bridge, which carries Interstate 405 and U.S. Route 30. Between the bridge and Sauvie Island, Route 30 runs roughly parallel to the left of the river between it and Forest Park in the Tualatin Mountains (West Hills). Below this, Swan Island and its marine terminals, run by the Port of Portland, is on the right at about from the mouth, and Balch Creek enters from the left. Near Swan Island, the University of Portland is above the river on a bluff to the right. The Willamette then receives Saltzman and Doane creeks from the left before flowing under the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1 at RM 7 (RK 11).
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
The maximum discharge during the period of record, including fragmentary data from 1878–88, was on January 14, 1881, and the minimum discharge was on September 1 and 2, 1940. This was from a drainage basin of , or about 43 percent of the watershed. Extremes outside the period of record include a discharge of on December 4, 1861, and on February 4, 1890.
Course of the Willamette River | Discharge
Since as early as 1869, with the introduction of a federally funded "snag puller" designed to keep the waterway clear, human habitation has affected the ecology of the river basin. The construction of large federal dams on the Willamette's tributaries between 1941 and 1969 damaged the spawning grounds for spring Chinook salmon and steelhead. Domestic and industrial waste from the cities built up along the river, "essentially turning the main-stem river into an open sewer by the 1920s." A 1927 City Club of Portland report labeled the waterway "filthy and ugly", and identified the City of Portland as the worst offender.
Willamette River | Pollution
Meandering north, the river receives Spring Creek from the left about later, then flows around Marshall Island before reaching Linn County at about RM 167 (RK 269). For about the next , the river forms the boundary between Lane County on the left and Linn County on the right. Curtis Slough enters from the right about from the mouth, where the river passes under bridges carrying the Southern Pacific and BNSF railways. The Willamette passes under U.S. Route 99E at RM 161 (RK 259) at Harrisburg, which is on the right. A United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge, is on the right just beyond the highway bridge.
Course of the Willamette River | Eugene–Springfield to Albany
Dams are listed in order from headwaters (Confluence of Middle Fork Willamette River and Coast Fork Willamette River, OR/WA) to mouth (Columbia River, OR)
List of dams in the Columbia River watershed | <a href="Willamette%20River">Willamette River</a> dams
Pringle Creek consists of a network of small streams with courses greatly altered since the 19th century by urban development. The streams flow on the surface in places, in pipes and culverts in other places, and have been otherwise modified by artificial inflows and diversions. West Fork Pringle Creek begins in springs southwest of the main stem and flows generally north and slightly east to its confluence with East Fork Pringle Creek near 14th Street and Oxford Street. East Fork Pringle Creek and West Middle Fork Pringle Creek drain farm fields near Interstate 5 southeast of downtown Salem. East Fork Pringle Creek flows generally northwest, receiving the north-flowing West Middle Fork from the left slightly upstream of the larger stream's confluence with West Fork Pringle Creek.
Pringle Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Course
With an average flow at the mouth of about , the Willamette ranks 19th in volume among rivers in the United States and contributes 12 to 15 percent of the total flow of the Columbia River. The Willamette's flow varies considerably season to season, averaging about in August to more than in December. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operates five stream gauges along the river, at Harrisburg, Corvallis, Albany, Salem, and Portland. The average discharge at the lowermost gauge, near the Morrison Bridge in Portland, was between 1972 and 2013. Located at river mile (RM) 12.8 or river kilometer (RK) 20.6, the gauge measures the flow from an area of , roughly 97 percent of the Willamette basin.
Willamette River | Discharge
Sixty-four percent of the watershed is privately owned, while 36 percent is publicly owned. The U.S. Forest Service manages 30 percent of the watershed, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management 5 percent, and the State of Oregon 1 percent. Sixty-eight percent of the watershed is forested; agriculture, concentrated in the Willamette Valley, makes up 19 percent, and urban areas cover 5 percent. More than of roads criss-cross the watershed.
Willamette River | Watershed
The river then passes Skinner Butte Park, which is on the left, and under Interstate 105 (I-105). Turning north, the river flows between East Bank Park on the right and West Bank Park on the left and passes under the Greenway Bike Bridge and then the Owosso Bike Bridge before passing under Oregon Route 569 (Beltline Highway) and leaving the city. Just downstream of the highway, Dedrick Slough enters from the right and then Dodson Slough, also from the right, before the river flows around Confluence Island and receives the McKenzie River from the right north of Eugene and from the Willamette's mouth.
Course of the Willamette River | Eugene–Springfield to Albany
The Niawiakum River originates in the hills of the southwestern part of Washington. It flows generally west, emptying into Willapa Bay near Bay Center and the mouth of the Palix River. The river's entire length is only a few miles. The lower half of the Niawiakum River is a broad estuary and tidal marshland. U.S. Route 101 crosses the river near its mouth.
Niawiakum River | Course
Marys River is a tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. From its source at the confluence of its east and west forks near Summit, it flows generally southeast from the Central Oregon Coast Range to Corvallis.
Marys River (Oregon) | Introduction
Flow is regulated by eight dams on upstream tributaries, and withdrawals for irrigation also affect water levels. The maximum flow recorded since 1945 was on December 29, 1945. The minimum flow was on October 30, 1944. The Harrisburg gauge measures the flow from an area of about , about 30 percent of the Willamette watershed. During the 115 years of 1894 plus 1896–2009, the average discharge recorded by a gauge at the Ellsworth Street Bridge in Albany, Oregon, at RM 119.31 (RK 192.01), was . Nine upstream dams on tributaries regulate the flow, which is also affected by diversions for irrigation, municipal water supplies, and electricity generation.
Course of the Willamette River | Discharge
There are more than 20 major dams on the Willamette's tributaries, as well as a complex series of levees, dikes, and channels to control the river's flow. The only dam on the Willamette's main stem is the Willamette Falls Dam, a low weir-type structure at Willamette Falls that diverts water into the headraces of the adjacent mills and a power plant. The locks at Willamette Falls were completed in 1873. Elsewhere on the main stem, numerous minor flow-regulation structures force the river into a narrower and deeper channel to facilitate navigation and flood control. The dams on the Willamette's major tributaries are primarily large flood-control, water storage, and power-generating dams.
Willamette River | Dams
Named tributaries from source to mouth are Beaver, Tumblebug, Royal, Fizz, Indigo, Found, Skunk, Swift, Mac, and Echo creeks. Then come Staley, Maple, Simpson, Gravel, Deadhorse, Jims, Coal, Youngs, and What Creek. Further downstream are Indian, Dry, Spring Butte, Boulder, Butcherknife, Snake, Fy, Emile, Estep, and Bohemia creeks. Bills, Cone, Buck, Gold, and Windfall creeks are next, followed by a series of streams that enter the river via Hills Creek Reservoir. They are Snow, Coffeepot, Big Willow, Little Willow, Stony, Bull, Packard, Modoc, Larlson, and Hills creeks. Downstream of Hills Lake Reservoir come Salt, Salmon, Shortridge, Gray, Spot, and Chillo creeks, followed by the North Fork Willamette River.
Middle Fork Willamette River | Tributaries
The river flows generally north, as do several other large Oregon tributaries of the Columbia River, including the Willamette and John Day.
Deschutes River (Oregon) | Introduction
Ash Creek, which flows through Independence, enters from the left. Fuller Creek enters from the right about later. About further downstream, Dove's Bar is on the right and Hayden Island on the left before Rickreall Creek enters from the left. Over the next stretch, Oregon Route 22 and the Union Pacific Railroad are on the left. Holman State Wayside is on the left and Minto-Brown Island Park is on the right. At RM 85 (RK 137), the river passes the neighborhood of West Salem, which is on the left, while the main part of the city of Salem is on the right.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
The following rivers have portions of their headwaters in the Central Oregon Coast Range: Drains to Willamette River: Drains to Pacific Ocean:
Central Oregon Coast Range | Rivers
Beyond the ferry, the river passes the Wheatland, Upper and Lower Martine, Matheny, and Eldridge bars and receives Eldridge Slough from the right at about RM 69 (RK 111). Passing the Snaggy Bend, Allison, Fairfield, and Duke bars, the river reaches Lambert Bar and receives Lambert Slough from the left. The river flows around Five Islands, the Five Islands Bar and the Coffee, Weston, Candiani, and Mission bars before receiving the Yamhill River from the left from the mouth. About below the Yamhill, Chehalem Creek enters from the left, and then the river flows around Ash Island, where it receives High Water Slough from the right.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
The Luckiamute River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of Central Oregon Coast Range and the western Willamette Valley northwest of Corvallis. It rises in the remote mountains of southwestern Polk County, about west of Pedee. It flows southeast to Hoskins in Benton County, then northeast into Polk County, past Pedee, then east across southern Polk County. It is joined from the northwest by the Little Luckiamute River. It joins the Willamette from the west about north of Albany. The mouth of the river is about downstream from the mouth of the Santiam River, which enters the Willamette from the east upstream of the Willamette's mouth on the Columbia River.
Luckiamute River | Introduction
The Pudding River Basin's complex of headwater creeks originates from the western edge of the Cascade Mountains along a snowpack-limited rigdeline (i.e. no glaciers are present) that forms a critical linkage from the Mount Hood National Forest and Table Rock Wilderness to Silver Falls State Park and the rolling Waldo Hills east of Salem. Peak ridgeline elevations vary from . After emerging from the Cascade Mountain foothills of the Panther Rock Ridge and its unique forested upper-elevation wetlands and lakes, the key tributaries of the watershed like ecologically-important Butte Creek converge near Woodburn into the meandering Pudding River. Passing through and within the Pudding River Valley, the numerous subwatersheds of the Pudding Basin represent a vital part of fertile agricultural lands of the Lower Willamette Valley sub-basin.
Pudding River | Course
The United States Exploring Expedition passed through the Willamette Valley in 1841 while traveling along the Siskiyou Trail. The expedition members noted extensive salmon fishing by natives at Willamette Falls, much like that at Celilo Falls on the Columbia River. In the middle part of the 19th century, the Willamette Valley's fertile soils, pleasant climate, and abundant water attracted thousands of settlers from the eastern United States, mainly the Upland South borderlands of Missouri, Iowa, and the Ohio Valley. Many of these emigrants followed the Oregon Trail, a trail across western North America that began at Independence, Missouri, and ended at various locations near the mouth of the Willamette River.
Willamette River | 19th-century development
The right-hand channel flows by the city of Gladstone, which is on the right. About further downriver, Mary S. Young State Recreation Area is on the left, and then the river passes Cedar Island. Below that, it flows around Hog Island, opposite Marylhurst University, which is on the left. As it reaches the city of Lake Oswego, the river receives Oswego Creek, which drains Oswego Lake, from the left. From Lake Oswego to near the Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon Route 43 runs roughly parallel to the river and to its left. Downriver, about from the mouth, the Willamette receives Tryon Creek from the left, opposite the unincorporated community of Oak Grove, and flows under the Lake Oswego Railroad Bridge, which carries a branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
Northern areas of the watershed tend to be porous and less prone to rapid runoff.
Johnson Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Soils
The Big River is a tributary of the Coast Fork Willamette River, approximately long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Calapooya Mountains south of Eugene. It rises in northern Douglas County, northwest of Huckleberry Mountain, approximately south-southeast of Cottage Grove at . It flows northwest through Lane County to form the Coast Fork of the Willamette at its confluence with the Little River, about south of Cottage Grove at
Big River (Oregon) | Introduction
Flowing northwest from the northern flanks of the Calapooya Mountains in Douglas County, Big River enters Lane County about downstream from the source. Box Canyon enters from the right at about river mile (RM) 9 or river kilometer (RK) 14. Big River receives Boulder Creek from the left, then Edwards Creek enters from the right at about RM 6 (RK 10). After receiving Bar Creek from the left and Martin Creek from the right, Big River meets Little River to form the Coast Fork Willamette River about from where the larger stream meets the Middle Fork Willamette River to form the Willamette River.
Big River (Oregon) | Course
Two covered bridges carry rural roads over the creek, one at Unity and the other further downstream.
Fall Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
Fern Creek enters from the left just beyond Route 223, and Cooper Creek enters from the left about from the mouth. The Little Luckiamute River meets the Luckiamute River about from the larger river's confluence with the Willamette River.
Little Luckiamute River | Introduction
The river's headwaters are in Clackamas County, near the Table Rock Wilderness, in the Cascade Range. Flowing generally north-northwest from the mountains, the river enters the Willamette Valley and flows past the city of Molalla. It is joined by the Pudding River shortly before entering the Willamette near the city of Canby. The confluence is about from the Willamette's mouth on the Columbia River. The Molalla River is the largest free-flowing tributary of the Willamette. Named tributaries from source to mouth are Henry, Ogle, Mining Iron, Lake, Scorpion, Hay Barn, Minnette, Dungeon, Avalanche, and Bull creeks, followed by Table Rock Fork.
Molalla River | Course
About later, the river reaches Buena Vista County Park and the unincorporated community of Buena Vista, both on the left, and the Buena Vista Ferry, which carries vehicles using Buena Vista Road between Polk and Marion counties. Below the ferry crossing, the river goes around Wells Island and receives Rock Creek from the right at RM 104 (RK 167). Through the next stretch, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge is on the right. The river then passes Tyson Island and Murphy Bar before passing under a bridge carrying River Road South in Independence, where Riverview Park is on the left about from the mouth.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
The Little River is a tributary of the Coast Fork Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Rising along the Calapooya Divide near the border between Lane and Douglas counties, it flows generally west-northwest to meet the Big River. The combined Big and Little rivers form the Coast Fork near Black Butte. The butte is a dark-colored mountain, the site of a former mine, and the site of a former post office. On older maps, Little River appears as a tributary of Garoutte Creek, also known as Saroutte Creek. However, in 1988 the United States Board on Geographic Names renamed the lower reach of Garoutte Creek so that it became part of Little River.
Little River (Coast Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
Tryon Creek begins slightly north of Interstate 5 (I-5) and Oregon Route 99W near Multnomah Village and flows southeast for through Portland residential neighborhoods as well as Marshall Park and the Tryon Creek State Natural Area to its confluence with the Willamette River in the city of Lake Oswego. Not far from its source, the main stem runs through three closely spaced culverts with a combined length of then flows on the surface before entering another culvert, long under Southwest 30th Avenue at river mile (RM) 4.56 or river kilometer (RK) 7.34. Shortly thereafter, the stream passes under Route 99W (Barbur Boulevard) and I-5 through another culvert, long.
Tryon Creek | Course
Below the bridge, Sellwood Riverfront Park, Oaks Amusement Park, and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge are on the right, and Willamette Park is on the left. In this stretch, Stephens Creek enters from the left. The north–south leg of the Springwater Corridor, a pedestrian and bicycle path, runs parallel to the river along its right bank from Sellwood to the Hawthorne Bridge in central Portland. About from the mouth, the river flows around East, Hardtack, Toe, and Ross islands before reaching the Ross Island Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 26. From Ross Island to the Marquam Bridge, I-5 runs roughly parallel to the river and to its left, and for much of this distance Oregon Route 99E (Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard) follows the river and to its right.
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States by volume, and the seventeenth widest in the world. Horseshoe in shape, it is wide and high with a flow of 30,849 cu ft/s (874 m³/s), located upriver from the Willamette's mouth. Until 2011 a canal and set of locks allowed vessels to pass into the main Willamette Valley. Those locks are now closed.
Willamette Falls | Introduction
The following rivers have their headwaters in the Northern Oregon Coast Range:
Northern Oregon Coast Range | Rivers
Further along, Johns Creek enters from the left, and then Joy Creek enters from the left where the channel leaves Multnomah County and enters Columbia County. About from the mouth, the channel flows around Coon Island. Shortly thereafter, Crane Slough, which drains Crane's Lake, and the Gilbert River, which drains Sturgeon Lake, enter from the right. Then the channel receives Jackson Creek from the left and Cunningham Slough from the right before flowing around Louse Island and merging with Scappoose Bay, which is on the left. St. Helens is on the left as the channel enters the Columbia, about from the larger stream's mouth on the Pacific Ocean.
Course of the Willamette River | Multnomah Channel
Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill and North Yamhill rivers about east of McMinnville, the main stem Yamhill River flows generally east for about to the Willamette River, a tributary of the Columbia River. At about RM 9 (RK 14), Hawn Creek and then Millican Creek enter from the left as the Yamhill nears Lafayette, which lies to the river's left. Beyond Lafayette, Henry Creek enters from the left. Near Dayton, the river passes under Oregon Route 18 before skirting the city, which lies to its right at RM 5 (RK 8). Here Palmer Creek enters from the right.
Yamhill River | Course
The elevation of the forest ranges from about 1,500 feet (460 m) above sea level on the western edge of the forest to almost 10,500 feet (3,200 m) at the top of Mount Jefferson, Oregon's second highest peak. Seven major peaks of the Cascades—Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Diamond Peak, North, Middle and South Sisters—as well as numerous high mountain lakes are within these wilderness areas. The McKenzie River and the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River are Wild and Scenic rivers.
Willamette National Forest | Geography
Lost Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Cascade Range foothills between Dorena Lake and Lookout Point Lake and flows generally north to meet the river downstream of Lowell. Along the way, it passes by the rural community of Dexter, then under Oregon Route 58, and through part of Elijah Bristow State Park. Named tributaries of Lost Creek from source to mouth are Guiley, Gossage, Carr, Middle, Anthony, and Wagner creeks.
Lost Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
The Willamette River Light was a navigational lighthouse at the mouth of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It existed as a lighthouse with keeper from 1895 to 1935, and as an unattended light from 1935 until it burned down in the 1950s.
Willamette River Light | Introduction
The North Santiam River is a tributary of the Santiam River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains of the Cascade Range on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem. It rises in the high Cascades in eastern Linn county, northwest of Three Fingered Jack in the Willamette National Forest. It flows north through the mountains past Marion Forks, receiving the drainage from the western slope of Mount Jefferson. Near Mount Jefferson it turns sharply west, descending through a canyon past Idanha and Detroit to Niagara County Park where the valley begins to widen and some agriculture use begins.
North Santiam River | Introduction
Then the river passes the unincorporated community of Dunthorpe, which is on the left, and flows around Elk Rock Island. Between Dunthorpe and the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, the river forms the boundary between Multnomah County, on the left, and Clackamas County, on the right. Reaching the city of Milwaukie, the Willamette receives Kellogg Creek from the right and then Johnson Creek from the right slightly above RM 18 (RK 29). Below Milwaukie, the river passes between Sellwood, on the right, and the River View Cemetery, both in Portland, and flows under the Sellwood Bridge, which carries Southeast Tacoma Street.
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
The creek appears to be named for the Multnomah people. Note that the Multnomah River is the historical name of the Willamette River.
Multnomah Creek | History
The Clackamas River arises on the western slopes of the Cascade Range near Olallie Butte, between Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson in the Mount Hood National Forest. Flowing generally northwest and then west for about , it joins the Willamette River at Gladstone. The river falls nearly between its source and its mouth. Originating in Marion County, the Clackamas River receives Squirrel Creek from the left bank and Lemiti Creek from the right bank before entering Clackamas County about from the mouth. Over its next , much of which is in a relatively level stretch known as Big Bottom, the river receives Cub Creek from the left, Sisi Creek from the right, then Hunter, Fawn, Rhododendron, and Lowe creeks, all from the left, followed by Wall, Pinhead, and Campbell creeks, all from the right, Kansas Creek from the left, and Cabin Creek and Lost Creek, both from the right.
Clackamas River | Course
Salt Creek is a tributary, long, of the Middle Fork Willamette River in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named for salt springs along its banks that are used as licks by deer. The stream originates as an outflow of Lower Betty Lake in the forested Cascade Range just southeast of Waldo Lake. From its source, Salt Creek flows generally south, through Gold Lake, to Route 58, which it then follows mainly northwest for about to its mouth at the Middle Fork Willamette River just below Hills Creek Dam. At Salt Creek Falls—roughly west of Willamette Pass and a little more than upstream from the mouth—the stream plunges , discharging an average of of water per minute, or .
Salt Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary) | Introduction
The Santiam River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about long, in western Oregon in the United States. Through its two principal tributaries, the North Santiam and the South Santiam rivers, it drains a large area of the Cascade Range at the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem and Corvallis. The main course of the river is short, formed in the Willamette Valley by the confluence of the North and South Santiam rivers on the border between Linn and Marion counties approximately northeast of Albany. It flows generally west-northwest in a slow meandering course to join the Willamette from the east approximately north of Albany.
Santiam River | Introduction
The upper Willamette River is much longer than the lower Willamette. The division between the two stretches of the river occurs at Willamette Falls, which was impassable to waterborne traffic. All cargoes bound further south than Oregon City had to be unloaded, portaged around the falls, and loaded again on vessels above the falls. For commercial purposes, the upper Willamette ran from above the falls to the head of navigation, and included important tributary rivers such as the Tualatin and the Yamhill. In the early 1850s the head of navigation was considered to be Corvallis, then known as Marysville. Until 1851 no steam-powered vessel had ever run on the Upper Willamette.
Canemah (sidewheeler) | Operations on the Willamette River
In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled thousands of miles across central North America in an attempt to map and explore the Louisiana Territory of the United States and the Oregon Country, which were then occupied mainly by Native Americans and settlers from Great Britain. As the expedition traveled down and back up the Columbia River, it missed the mouth of the Willamette, one of the Columbia's largest tributaries. It was only after receiving directions from natives along the Sandy River that the explorers learned about their oversight. William Clark returned down the Columbia and entered the Willamette River in April 1806.
Willamette River | 19th-century development
The river then flows by a USGS gauging station, which is on the left, and under the St. Johns Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 30 Bypass. Here Portland's Linnton neighborhood is on the left, and its St. Johns neighborhood is on the right. About from the mouth, the river divides to flow around Sauvie Island. Over the final stretch of the river, the main channel flows north by Sauvie Island, which is on the left and marine terminals and industrial areas, which are on the right. About from the mouth, the Columbia Slough enters from the right. Kelley Point Park is to the right at the confluence of the Willamette and the Columbia, about from the larger river's mouth on the Pacific Ocean.
Course of the Willamette River | Oregon City to Columbia River
It joins the North Santiam River from the southeast to form the Santiam approximately northeast of Lebanon, about east of the confluence of the Santiam with the Willamette River. U.S. Route 20 follows the valley of the river from near its headwaters in the mountains to the Willamette Valley northwest of Lebanon.
South Santiam River | Introduction
At the Willamette's source, the confluence of the two forks, Dorris Ranch Living History Farm is on the right and Franklin Boulevard is on the left. Interstate 5 (I-5), co-terminous with Oregon Route 99 (Pacific Highway), is also on the left bank slightly further from the river than Franklin Boulevard. For its first , the river flows north. It passes Willamette Heights Park, which is on the right, then enters the city of Springfield. The river then flows under a Southern Pacific Railroad bridge and under a bridge carrying Business Route 126 (Main Street); Millrace Park is on the upstream side of the second bridge, and Island Park is on the downstream side, both on the right.
Course of the Willamette River | Eugene–Springfield to Albany
Dams are listed in order from headwater (Confluence of Big River and Garoutte Creek, OR) to mouth (Willamette River).
List of dams in the Columbia River watershed | <a href="Coast%20Fork%20Willamette%20River">Coast Fork Willamette River</a> dams
The watershed can be divided into two hydrologic areas with different infiltration rates. The northern area, comprising about 40 percent of the watershed, consists of the Portland Terraces, and the southern consists of the Boring Hills and the Kelso Slope. Most of the rain that falls on the northern area percolates into the ground, and most of the rain that falls on the southern area runs quickly into the creek or its tributaries. Rain that falls on the north generally has a more gradual, longer-lasting effect, sustaining the base flow of the creek during dry periods. About 40 percent of the tributaries that originally flowed over the surface of the watershed were piped or relocated during urban development, especially on the north side of the main stem.
Johnson Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Hydrology
In Albany, the river flows east under a Union Pacific railroad bridge and through the city, then curves north by a series of industrial ponds as well as First, Second, Third, and Fourth lakes, which are on the right. At RM 113 (RK 182), Wilson Lake is on the right, and about further downstream, the Willamette leaves Benton County and becomes the boundary between Linn County, on the right, and Polk County on the left. Roughly later, the river leaves Linn County and becomes the boundary between Polk County on the left and Marion County on the right. The Santiam River enters from the right from the Willamette's mouth, and the Luckiamute River enters from the left slightly below the mouth of the Santiam.
Course of the Willamette River | Albany to Oregon City
Willamina Creek is a tributary, about long, of the South Yamhill River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning in the Northern Oregon Coast Range in Yamhill County, it briefly enters and exits a small part of eastern Tillamook County, then flows generally south to meet the larger stream at Willamina, near the border with Polk County.
Willamina Creek | Introduction
Finley National Wildlife Refuge. Historically, riparian gallery forests containing ash, black cottonwood, alder, and bigleaf maple grew on fertile, alluvial soils. Today, most of the forests have been replaced by agriculture and residential development. The region covers in Oregon in a narrow band rarely more than wide that extends along nearly the entire length of the Willamette River and the lower reaches of the McKenzie, Long Tom, Santiam, Yamhill, Molalla, Clackamas, and Tualatin rivers, including the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.
Willamette Valley (ecoregion) | Willamette River and Tributaries Gallery Forest (3b)
The North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River as it is officially named but frequently called North Fork of the Willamette River or North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River has its headwaters at Waldo Lake and flows into the Middle Fork Willamette River northwest of Oakridge. In the first below Waldo Lake, the river drops in 34 separate waterfalls through diverse natural plant life and old growth forest. The river has Oregon's longest covered bridge crossing it at Westfir, the Office Bridge. Portions of the river were designated wild and scenic in 1988. The portion from Waldo Lake to upstream from Westfir is designated "scenic" by the State of Oregon and is known for its native trout by fly fishermen.
North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River | Introduction
Neighboring watersheds on the east side of the Willamette River include Mount Scott Creek and Kellogg Creek, which flow through Milwaukie and drain directly into the Willamette; the Clackamas River, which drains the southeast suburbs and empties into the Willamette near Oregon City; the Sandy River, which drains the eastern suburbs and empties into the Columbia; and Fairview Creek and the Columbia Slough, which drain north Portland and Gresham, emptying into the Columbia. 19th-century maps also show numerous springs and small streams flowing into a wetland that covered an area of today's southeast Portland between Powell Boulevard (U.S. Route 26) and Johnson Creek, a distance of .
Johnson Creek (Willamette River tributary) | Jurisdiction