Salmon River (California)
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| Salmon River (California) | |
|---|---|
 Salmon River, California above the Wooley Creek confluence. | |
 Salmon River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of North and South Forks |
| • location | Forks of Salmon |
| • coordinates | 41°15′24″N 123°19′24″W / 41.25667°N 123.32333°W[1] |
| • elevation | 1,180 ft (360 m) |
| Mouth | Klamath River |
• location | Somes Bar |
• coordinates | 41°22′39″N 123°29′36″W / 41.37750°N 123.49333°W[1] |
• elevation | 466 ft (142 m)[1] |
| Length | 19.6 mi (31.5 km)[2] |
| Basin size | 751 sq mi (1,950 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Somes Bar, near mouth[3] |
| • average | 1,792 cu ft/s (50.7 m3/s)[4] |
| • minimum | 97.5 cu ft/s (2.76 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 133,000 cu ft/s (3,800 m3/s) |
| Designated | January 19, 1981 |
The Salmon River is a 19.6-mile-long (31.5 km)[2] tributary to the Klamath River in western Siskiyou County, California.
The river has its origins in the high mountains of the Trinity Alps, Russian Mountains, and Marble Mountains (all sub-ranges of the larger Klamath Mountains). The Salmon River comprises two forks, the North Fork and the South Fork, which join at the hamlet of Forks of Salmon, California to form the 19.6-mile (31.5 km) long mainstem Salmon River. A large tributary stream, Wooley Creek, joins the mainstem Salmon River about 4 miles (6 km) from its mouth at Somes Bar, and is nearly as large as the North Fork. The lower portion of the Salmon River's southwestern divide defines the boundary of Siskiyou County and Humboldt County.
Watershed
The river's 751-square-mile (1,950 km2) watershed is entirely within the Klamath National Forest, and less than two percent of the land area is privately owned. Nearly half of the watershed is federally protected wilderness area, including portions of the Trinity Alps Wilderness on the south, the Russian Wilderness on the east, and the Marble Mountain Wilderness on the north. Another twenty-five percent of the watershed is designated as Late Successional Reserve under the Northwest Forest Plan and is managed to enhance and retain old-growth forest characteristics and habitat.
