Lyre River
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| Lyre River | |
|---|---|
 The Lyre River as it flows out of Lake Crescent | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Clallam |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Crescent |
| • location | Olympic National Park |
| • coordinates | 48°5′40″N 123°48′17″W / 48.09444°N 123.80472°W[1] |
| • elevation | 586 ft (179 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Strait of Juan de Fuca |
• coordinates | 48°9′38″N 123°49′43″W / 48.16056°N 123.82861°W[1] |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 5.2 mi (8.4 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 67.5 sq mi (175 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near Shadow[5] |
| • average | 366 cu ft/s (10.4 m3/s)[5] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | June Creek, Boundary Creek (Lyre River)|Boundary Creek, Susie Creek |
| • right | Nelson Creek (Lyre River)|Nelson Creek |
The Lyre River in the U.S. state of Washington flows out of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Originally referred to as "singing waters" by the Indians living near it,[6] the river was first named Rio de Cuesta by Europeans in 1790 by Gonzalo López de Haro, but was later called River Lyre after being charted by Captain Henry Kellett in 1847.[7]
The Lyre River flows roughly northwest out of Lake Crescent, first encountering June Creek, then turning north at the point that is joined by Boundary Creek on the left. At River Mile 2.7 (48°07′25″N 123°49′37″W / 48.12348°N 123.82684°W) the river tumbles down the Lyre River Falls, which are impassable to fish migrating upstream. Continuing north, the river is joined by Susie Creek on the left, and finally Nelson Creek on the right before emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Low Point.
Ecology
The first few hundred feet of the river as it flows out of the lake provide spawning habitat for the Beardslee trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus f. beardsleei), which is found nowhere else.[8] Below the falls that are 3 miles (5 km) upriver from the mouth, the river supports stocks of coastal cutthroat trout, as well as winter and summer steelhead.[9]