557:. The river immediately flows southwest through a narrow gorge, joined by numerous small tributaries. The river turns southeast to join with Long Creek and Lake Creek, which flow in from the east. After joining these two large creeks, the river turns west, then receives Elizabeth Creek from the right as it veers to the south. Then it turns sharply west into a wider valley, where it receives its largest tributary thus far, 25-mile (40 km) Kelly Creek, from the left near an unincorporated community, and turns west and southwest, paralleled by Forest Service Road #250. It then receives 4 July Creek from the left, Weitas Creek from the left, Orogrande Creek from the left and Quartz Creek from the right.
569:. About 8 miles (13 km) later, the flooded canyon meets the canyon of the Little North Fork Clearwater River on the right, which is also flooded for some distance. Still narrow and winding, following the river's original course, the reservoir branches to the south and spreads wider as it enters more gradual terrain. Reeds Creek and Elk Creek, formerly major tributaries of the river, now flow directly into the lake. The reservoir then ends at the Dworshak Dam, a 717 ft (219 m) high concrete gravity dam. Below the dam the river runs southeast for a little over a mile, crosses under Idaho State Route 7, and meets the Clearwater River at
53:
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Flowing northeast then swinging back west, the river receives Skull Creek from the northeast just downstream of the Quartz Creek confluence. Beaver Creek enters from the south and
Isabella Creek from the north. With high buttes towering to the north and comparatively gradual mountains rising on the
433:
just above its mouth in north-central Idaho. Draining a rugged watershed of 2,462 square miles (6,380 km), the river has an average flow of over 5,600 cubic feet per second (160 m/s), accounting for a third of the discharge from the
Clearwater basin. The river drains parts of
620:
operated a stream gauge near the mouth of the river from 1927 to 1968. In that time period, the highest recorded flow was 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m/s) on
December 23, 1933. The lowest peak was 12,200 cubic feet per second (350 m/s) on 18 May 1941.
615:
On average, streamflow in the North Fork is approximately 5,200 cubic feet per second (150 m/s), ranging from 1,000 cubic feet per second (28 m/s) to over 30,000 cubic feet per second (850 m/s). The
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549:
border. The headwaters are on the south flank of the triple summits of Graves Peak, Illinois Peak and Gold Crown Peak, very near St. Joe Lake, the head waters of the
856:
612:
The major tributaries to the North Fork
Clearwater River are (proceeding downstream) Kelly Creek, the Little North Fork Clearwater River, and Elk Creek.
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253:
585:. The watershed is approximately 26.6 percent of the 9,645-square-mile (24,980 km) Clearwater River watershed, itself a tributary of the
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to the northeast, the Middle Fork
Clearwater to the east and south, the South Fork Clearwater and Snake River to the south, and the
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and
Clearwater to the west. The basin is very lightly populated - the largest and only incorporated town is
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The North Fork
Clearwater's watershed covers 2,462 square miles (6,380 km) of land in the lower
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834:
U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System: Little North Fork Clearwater River
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857:"Upper North Fork Clearwater River Subbasin Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Loads"
705:
U.S. Geological Survey. National
Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.
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of eastern Idaho, it flows 135 miles (217 km) westward and is dammed by the
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885:"USGS Gage #13341000 on the North Fork Clearwater River at Ahsahka, Idaho"
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U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System: Kelly Creek
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Elk Creek
609:
industry makes up the primary economy of the North Fork's watershed.
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798:. Comprehensive State Water Plan Executive Summary. Archived from
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67:
Location of the mouth of the North Fork Clearwater River in Idaho
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522:. The North Fork of the Clearwater is located within the
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Little North Fork Clearwater River, Elizabeth Creek
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59:
450:counties. Most of the watershed is managed by the
25:North Fork of the Clearwater River, The North Fork
955:
761:(Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. Google Maps. 2009
95:North Fork Clearwater River (the United States)
923:Benke, Arthur C.; Cushing, Colbert E. (2005).
751:
749:
593:abuts the North Fork drainage to the north,
40:on the North Fork Clearwater, near its mouth
537:, which form the far eastern border of the
340:5,687.5 cu ft/s (161.05 m/s)
746:
360:110,000 cu ft/s (3,100 m/s)
940:On the Fly Guide to the Northern Rockies.
864:Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
686:United States Department of the Interior
454:. Some of the fish of the river include
781:
956:
907:Graphs for peak discharge at this site
758:Map of the North Fork Clearwater River
712:
482:. The North Fork drainage is home to
350:799 cu ft/s (22.6 m/s)
306:2,462 sq mi (6,380 km)
866:. www.deq.state.id.us. October 2003
796:Idaho Department of Water Resources
724:Idaho Department of Water Resources
720:"North Fork Clearwater River Basin"
677:Geographic Names Information System
664:
13:
979:Rivers of Clearwater County, Idaho
699:
514:. The river used to have a large
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1005:
889:National Water Information System
518:run before the implementation of
974:Rivers of Shoshone County, Idaho
652:List of longest streams of Idaho
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893:United States Geological Survey
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682:United States Geological Survey
969:Tributaries of the Snake River
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247: • coordinates
166: • coordinates
1:
989:Rivers of Idaho County, Idaho
984:Rivers of Latah County, Idaho
942:Wilderness Adventures Press.
789:"North Fork Clearwater Basin"
672:"North Fork Clearwater River"
657:
425:. From its headwaters in the
133:Physical characteristics
98:Show map of the United States
16:River in Idaho, United States
576:
410:is a major tributary of the
286: • elevation
209:5,400 ft (1,600 m)
205: • elevation
7:
624:
589:. The drainage area of the
408:North Fork Clearwater River
324: • location
231: • location
153: • location
22:North Fork Clearwater River
10:
1010:
994:Clearwater National Forest
524:Clearwater National Forest
356: • maximum
346: • minimum
336: • average
778:Benke and Cushing, p. 632
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456:westslope cutthroat trout
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925:Rivers of North America.
565:, formed by the massive
561:south, the river enters
396: • right
290:980 ft (300 m)
938:Robbins, Chuck (2003).
383: • left
709:, accessed May 3, 2011
605:, population 149. The
269:46.50000°N 116.33056°W
188:47.00306°N 115.10444°W
466:, and the threatened
805:on December 20, 2009
726:. www.idwr.idaho.gov
647:List of Idaho rivers
535:Bitterroot Mountains
427:Bitterroot Mountains
274:46.50000; -116.33056
193:47.00306; -115.10444
146:Bitterroot Mountains
553:, which flows into
452:U.S. Forest Service
369:Basin features
265: /
184: /
563:Dworshak Reservoir
555:Coeur d'Alene Lake
480:Dworshak Reservoir
464:mountain whitefish
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240:Clearwater County
70:Show map of Idaho
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927:Academic Press.
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533:It rises in the
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964:Rivers of Idaho
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743:Robbins, p. 65.
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472:smallmouth bass
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157:Illinois Peak,
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476:kokanee salmon
470:. It also has
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551:St. Joe River
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117:United States
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897:. Retrieved
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879:
868:. Retrieved
863:
851:
840:
829:
818:
807:. Retrieved
800:the original
795:
783:
774:
763:. Retrieved
757:
739:
728:. Retrieved
723:
714:
701:
690:. Retrieved
688:. 1979-06-21
675:
666:
639:Idaho portal
614:
611:
580:
567:Dworshak Dam
559:
532:
520:Dworshak Dam
431:Dworshak Dam
407:
405:
38:Dworshak Dam
918:Works cited
895:. 1927–1968
595:Latah Creek
587:Snake River
508:grey wolves
388:Kelly Creek
374:Tributaries
272: /
260:116°19′50″W
191: /
179:115°06′16″W
958:Categories
899:2009-08-05
870:2009-08-05
809:2009-08-05
765:2009-08-05
730:2009-08-05
692:2009-08-05
658:References
500:black bear
468:bull trout
436:Clearwater
303:Basin size
257:46°30′00″N
176:47°00′11″N
577:Watershed
541:, on the
516:steelhead
315:Discharge
625:See also
440:Shoshone
108:Location
607:logging
571:Ahsahka
547:Montana
488:cougars
414:in the
236:Ahsahka
113:Country
946:
931:
529:Course
512:osprey
510:, and
474:and a
446:, and
377:
318:
295:Length
142:Source
860:(PDF)
803:(PDF)
792:(PDF)
543:Idaho
496:moose
448:Idaho
444:Latah
423:Idaho
419:state
219:Mouth
127:Idaho
123:State
944:ISBN
929:ISBN
618:USGS
492:deer
416:U.S.
406:The
504:elk
421:of
960::
891:.
887:.
862:.
794:.
748:^
722:.
684:,
680:.
674:.
573:.
506:,
502:,
498:,
494:,
490:,
486:,
462:,
458:,
442:,
438:,
238:,
950:.
935:.
902:.
873:.
812:.
768:.
733:.
695:.
545:-
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
