Deschutes River (Washington)
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| Deschutes River Rivière des Chutes; River of the Falls | |
|---|---|
 Tumwater Falls of the Deschutes River, 2005 | |
   Interactive map of River location | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Thurston, Lewis |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Cascade Range |
| • coordinates | 46°41′0″N 122°26′17″W / 46.68333°N 122.43806°W |
| Mouth | Puget Sound |
• coordinates | 47°1′6″N 122°54′13″W / 47.01833°N 122.90361°W |
| Length | 50 mi (80 km) |
| Basin size | 162 sq mi (420 km2)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | river mile 2.4 at Tumwater[1] |
| • average | 396 cu ft/s (11.2 m3/s)[1] |
| • minimum | 48 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 8,150 cu ft/s (231 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1518684[2] |
The Deschutes River is a 50-mile-long (80 km) river in the U.S. state of Washington. The river's course begins in Lewis County. The waterway ends at Budd Inlet where it empties into Puget Sound.
The river was given its name by French fur traders, who called it Rivière des Chutes, or "River of the Falls", a translation of the First Nations name for the site. The city of Tumwater, founded in the same location, takes its name from the Chinook Jargon translation for "waterfall".[citation needed]
History
In 2025, the river received over $775,000 in funding for a two-project salmon restoration habitat effort to be led by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. Funding was provided by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board and Puget Sound Partnership. The projects include efforts to improve floodplain, habitat, and riverbank concerns of the middle river's basin located north of Tenino, and the installation of natural logjams in the upper Deschutes and its tributary, Mitchell Creek.[3]
Course
The headwaters are in the Bald Hills in Lewis County, and it empties into Budd Inlet of Puget Sound at Olympia in Thurston County.[citation needed]
Tributaries of the river include Spurgeon Creek, Thurston Creek and Lake Lawrence.[4]
Recreation
There are numerous parks along its course, including Pioneer Park and Tumwater Falls Park. A popular tubing stretch runs from Pioneer Park to Tumwater Falls.[citation needed]
The Chehalis Western Trail parallels the river for a stretch of 2 miles (3.2 km), allowing users direct views and access to the river.[5][6]
