The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about 215 miles (346 km) in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. Beginning near Crater Lake, which occupies the caldera left by the explosive volcanic eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama, the river flows through the geologically young High Cascades and the older Western Cascades, another volcanic province. Further west, the river passes through multiple exotic terranes of the more ancient Klamath Mountains. In the Kalmiopsis Wilderness section of the Rogue basin are some of the world's best examples of rocks that form the Earth's mantle. Near the mouth of the river, the only dinosaur fragments ever discovered in Oregon were found in the Otter Point Formation, along the coast of Curry County.
Mount McLoughlin is a dormant steep-sided stratovolcano, or composite volcano, in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon and within the United States Sky Lakes Wilderness. It is one of the volcanic peaks in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, within the High Cascades sector. A prominent landmark for the Rogue River Valley, the mountain is north of Mount Shasta, and south-southeast of Crater Lake. It was named around 1838 after John McLoughlin, a Chief Factor for the Hudson's Bay Company. Mount McLouglin's prominence has made it a landmark to Native American populations for thousands of years.
The Umpqua River on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately 111 miles (179 km) long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the Cascade Range and south of the Willamette Valley, from which it is separated by the Calapooya Mountains. From its source northeast of Roseburg, the Umpqua flows northwest through the Oregon Coast Range and empties into the Pacific at Winchester Bay. The river and its tributaries flow almost entirely within Douglas County, which encompasses most of the watershed of the river from the Cascades to the coast. The "Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua" form the heart of the timber industry of southern Oregon, generally centered on Roseburg.
The Middle Santiam River is a tributary of the South Santiam River, 38.5 miles (62.0 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains a remote area of the Cascade Range east of Sweet Home in the watershed of the Willamette River.
Prospect is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies along Oregon Route 62 on the Rogue River, in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 455.
The Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon begins at Boundary Springs on the border between Klamath and Douglas counties near the northern edge of Crater Lake National Park. The Rogue River flows generally west for 215 miles (346 km) from the Cascade Range through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Klamath Mountains to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach. Communities along its course include Union Creek, Prospect, Trail, Shady Cove, Gold Hill, and Rogue River, all in Jackson County; Grants Pass, and Galice in Josephine County, and Agness, Wedderburn and Gold Beach in Curry County. Significant tributaries include the South Fork Rogue River, Elk Creek, Bear Creek, the Applegate River, and the Illinois River. Arising at 5,320 feet (1,622 m) above sea level, the river loses more than 1 mile (1.6 km) in elevation by the time it reaches the Pacific.
Elk Creek is an 18-mile (29 km) tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at 4,931 feet (1,503 m) above sea level in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, it flows generally southwest through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Elk Creek Project lands to Rogue Elk Park in Jackson County. Here the creek enters the Rogue River 5.25 miles (8.45 km) downstream from Lost Creek Lake and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) river miles upstream of the small town of Trail. Elk Creek Dam, an incomplete flood-control structure that blocked fish migration for more than 20 years, was partly demolished in 2008 to restore endangered anadromous fish passage.
The South Fork Rogue River is a 25-mile (40 km) tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Rising in the Sky Lakes Wilderness in the Cascade Range, it flows generally northeast through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest to meet the Rogue River downstream of Prospect and slightly upstream of Lost Creek Lake.
Little Butte Creek is a 17-mile-long (27 km) tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin consists of approximately 354 square miles (917 km2) of Jackson County and another 19 square miles (49 km2) of Klamath County. Its two forks, the North Fork and the South Fork, both begin high in the Cascade Range near Mount McLoughlin and Brown Mountain. They both flow generally west until they meet near Lake Creek. The main stem continues west, flowing through the communities of Brownsboro, Eagle Point, and White City, before finally emptying into the Rogue River about 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Eagle Point.
The Cascade Canal is a canal located in Klamath and Jackson counties, in the U.S. State of Oregon. It delivers water from Fourmile Lake in the Klamath River watershed over the Cascade Divide to Fish Lake in the Rogue River watershed. It diverts approximately 5,462 acre-feet (6,737,000 m3) annually into Fish Lake. About 33 percent of the water diverted from Fourmile Lake is lost or spilled on the way to Fish Lake.
Big Butte Creek is a 12-mile-long (19 km) tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately 245 square miles (635 km2) of Jackson County. Its two forks, the North Fork and the South Fork, both begin high in the Cascade Range near Mount McLoughlin. Flowing predominantly west, they meet near the city of Butte Falls. The main stem flows generally northwest until it empties into the Rogue Falls was incorporated in 1911, and remains the only incorporated town within the watershed's boundaries.
The North Fork Payette River is a river in western Idaho in the United States. It flows about 113 miles (182 km) southwards from the Salmon River Mountains to near Banks, where it empties into the Payette River, a tributary of the Snake 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.
Union Creek is a 15-mile (24 km) long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning west of Union Peak in the Cascade Range, it flows through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest to meet the Rogue at Union Creek and the Union Creek Historic District.
The Middle Fork Rogue River is a tributary of the South Fork Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in Klamath County in the Sky Lakes Wilderness of the Cascade Range and flows generally northwest through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest to meet the South Fork south of Prospect. The Middle Fork enters the South Fork about 4 miles (6 km) from the South Fork's confluence with the Rogue River.
Evans Creek is a tributary, about 35 miles (56 km) long, of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near Richter Mountain in the Cascade Range and flows generally south to The Meadows then southwest to Wimer then south to the city of Rogue River, all in Jackson County. The creek enters the river about 111 miles (179 km) from the Rogue's mouth on the Pacific Ocean. Wimer Bridge, a one-lane covered bridge crosses the creek at Wimer.
Antelope Creek is a tributary of Little Butte Creek in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the foothills of the Cascade Range southeast of Medford and flows generally northwest to meet the larger creek downstream of Eagle Point and about 3 miles (5 km) by water from Little Butte Creek's mouth on the Rogue River.
Bagnell Ferry is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the north bank of the Rogue River about 5 miles (8 km) upstream of Gold Beach.
Plum Trees is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Sixes River, about 16 miles (26 km) upstream of its mouth on the Pacific Ocean near Cape Blanco. Sixes River Road runs by Plum Trees, which is adjacent to the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest slightly north of Grassy Knob Wilderness in the Klamath Mountains.
Bitter Lick is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies at the confluence of Bitter Lick Creek and Elk Creek, northwest of the ghost town of Persist. Bitter Lick is in the northern part of the county, north of Lost Creek Lake, a reservoir on the Rogue River.
The High Cascades Complex was a group of 20 fires burning in four protected areas in Oregon, in the United States, specifically: Crater Lake National Park, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Umpqua National Forest, and Fremont–Winema National Forest. The first fire in the complex, the Blanket Creek Fire, was started by a lightning strike on July 29, 2017. In total, the fires have burned 72,309 acres (293 km2) and are 28% contained. The fires are directly impacting the communities of Prospect, Union Creek and Diamond Lake, park headquarters, old growth forests that house endangered species like the spotted owl and volcanic features.
