North Fork Payette River
| North Fork Payette River | |
|---|---|
 Rafters running rapids on the Cabarton section of the North Fork aboveSmiths Ferryin 2008 | |
 Map of the Payette River watershed, including the North Fork | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| Region | Valley County,Boise County |
| Cities | McCall,Cascade,Banks |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Trail Creek and Cloochman Creek |
| • location | Northwest of Diamond Ridge,Valley County |
| • coordinates | 45°10′47″N115°59′37″W/ 45.17972°N 115.99361°W[1] |
| • elevation | 6,083 ft (1,854 m) |
| Mouth | Payette River |
• location | Banks,Boise County |
• coordinates | 44°05′06″N116°06′57″W/ 44.08500°N 116.11583°W[1] |
• elevation | 2,825 ft (861 m) |
| Length | 113 mi (182 km), North-south[2] |
| Basin size | 912 sq mi (2,360 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Banks, ID[4] |
| • average | 1,299 cu ft/s (36.8 m3/s)[4] |
| • minimum | 36 cu ft/s (1.0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 8,830 cu ft/s (250 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Snake Riverwatershed |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Lake Fork (Idaho), Clear Creek (Idaho), Round Valley Creek |
TheNorth Fork Payette River(/peɪˈɛt/) is a river in thewesternUnited Statesin westernIdaho.It flows about 113 miles (182 km) southwards from theSalmon River Mountainsto nearBanks,where it empties into thePayette River,a tributary of theSnake River.It drains a watershed of 912 square miles (2,360 km2), consisting of mountains and forests, and valleys filled with large lakes and wetlands.
Course
[edit]It rises at the confluence of Trail Creek and Cloochman Creek, in a meadow in thePayette National ForestinValley County.The river flows south into Upper Payette Lake, then further south through a narrow valley intoPayette Lake,with a surfaceelevationof 4,990 feet (1,520 m) abovesea level.The river exits from the southwestern corner of the lake atMcCalland flows southwards through Long Valley intoLake Cascade,a large reservoir formed byCascade Dam.The Lake Fork and Gold Fork rivers join from the north and east sides of the lake.[5]
About five miles (8 km) below the Cascade Dam and the town ofCascade,the North Fork reaches the end of Long Valley and enters a narrow canyon along the western side of the North Fork Range in theBoise National Forest.Paralleled byState Highway 55,it crosses intoBoise County,where the canyon's depth exceeds 2,500 feet (760 m).
The North Fork joins with the Payette River at Banks (2,825 feet (860 m)). From there, the Payette River flows 62 miles (100 km) further west to its confluence with the Snake River atPayette,just northeast ofOntario, Oregon.[5]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ab"North Fork Payette River".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.1979-06-21.Retrieved2010-10-26.
- ^"North Fork Payette River Subbasin Assessment"(PDF).Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.Retrieved2010-10-26.
- ^"Boundary Descriptions and Names of Regions, Subregions, Accounting Units and Cataloging Units".U.S. Geological Survey.Retrieved2010-08-22.
- ^ab"USGS Gage #13246000 on the North Fork Payette River near Banks, ID: Water-Data Report 2009"(PDF).National Water Information System.U.S. Geological Survey. 1947–2009.Retrieved2010-10-26.
- ^abUSGS Topo Maps for United States(Map). Cartography byUnited States Geological Survey.ACME Mapper.Retrieved2010-10-26.
External links
[edit]
Media related toNorth Fork Payette Riverat Wikimedia Commons
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