| Deep Creek Falls | |
|---|---|
Deep Creek Falls seen from Highway 140 | |
| Location | Warner Valley |
| Coordinates | 42°10′26″N119°57′00″W / 42.17386°N 119.94992°W Coordinates: 42°10′26″N119°57′00″W / 42.17386°N 119.94992°W |
| Elevation | 4,873 ft (1,485 m) |
| Total height | 25 ft (8 m) |
Deep Creek Falls is a waterfall formed along Gibson Canyon on the south end of Warner Valley, east side of the city of Lakeview in Lake County, Oregon. [1] Access to Deep Creek Falls is located along Oregon Route 140 through unmarked paths that lead down to the stream and the base of the waterfall. [1]
A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
The Warner Valley is a valley in south-central Oregon in the United States. It is a remote valley at the northwestern corner of North America's Basin and Range Province. The valley is home to a chain of lakes and wetlands known as the Warner Lakes. Native Americans were present in the Warner Valley for thousands of years before European explorers arrived in the 19th century. It is the site of Fort Warner, built by the United States Army in 1867. The fort was used as a supply depot and administrative headquarters during a protracted Army campaign against Northern Paiute bands in eastern Oregon and northern California. Today, livestock ranching is the main commercial activity in the valley. The Warner Valley offers a number of recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, bird watching, and wildlife viewing.
Lakeview is a town in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation. Lakeview is situated in the Goose Lake Valley at the foot of the Warner Mountains and at the edge of Oregon's high desert country. Its economy is based on agriculture, lumber production, and government activities. In addition, tourism is an increasingly important part of the city's economy. Oregon's Outback Scenic Byway passes through Lakeview.
The falls are a barrier to upstream migration of some fish species. For example, the Warner sucker is only found downstream from the falls while the falls divide the creek's native redband trout into two distinct populations, one above the falls and another below. [2] [3] However, the falls do not appear to be a barrier for brook trout or hatchery fish released in Deep Creek. [4]
The Warner sucker is a rare species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. Native to Oregon in the United States and found only in the Warner Basin, its distribution extends just into Nevada and California. It is a federally listed threatened species. Its other common name is redhorse. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this fish as an endangered species because of its small extent of occurrence, the small number of locations in which it is found, and the extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy resulting from drought and water abstraction. Conservation efforts have been put in place.
Redband trout are a group of three recognized subspecies of rainbow trout. They occur in three distinct regions in Pacific basin tributaries and endorheic basins in the western United States. The three subspecies are the Columbia River redband trout, the McCloud River redband trout and the Great Basin redband trout.
The brook trout is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus Salvelinus of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere in North America, as well as to Iceland, Europe, and Asia. In parts of its range, it is also known as the eastern brook trout, speckled trout, brook charr, squaretail, or mud trout, among others. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior, as well as an anadromous population in Maine, is known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters. The brook trout is the state fish of nine U.S. states: Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the Provincial Fish of Nova Scotia in Canada.
The lower portion of Deep Creek follows Oregon Route 140. The falls are a common recreational stop for travelers along the highway. Travellers often pull off the highway near the falls to stretch or fish. [5] Deep Creek Falls are also a popular stop along the Oregon Outback Scenic Bikeway, which follows Route 140 along the section that passes the falls. [6] [7]
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping. “Fishing” may include catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as molluscs, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The term is not normally applied to catching farmed fish, or to aquatic mammals, such as whales where the term whaling is more appropriate. In addition to being caught to be eaten, fish are caught as recreational pastimes. Fishing tournaments are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept as preserved or living trophies. When bioblitzes occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released.
The steep cliffs that flank the falls are good habitat for cliff swallows, falcons, and eagles. [6] [7]
The American cliff swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae consisting of both swallow and martin species. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek; Petrochelidon originates from the petros meaning "rock" and khelidon "swallow", pyrrhonota comes from purrhos meaning "flame-coloured" and -notos "-backed".
Falcons are birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, not all of which are closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found—2 in North America, 9 in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia.
