| Little Chetco River | |
|---|---|
  Location of the mouth of the Little Chetco River in Oregon | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Curry |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kalmiopsis Wilderness |
| - location | Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Klamath Mountains |
| - coordinates | 42°09′41″N123°49′20″W / 42.16139°N 123.82222°W [1] |
| - elevation | 4,032 ft (1,229 m) [2] |
| River mouth | Chetco River |
| - coordinates | 42°12′54″N123°53′48″W / 42.21500°N 123.89667°W Coordinates: 42°12′54″N123°53′48″W / 42.21500°N 123.89667°W [1] |
| - elevation | 1,841 ft (561 m) [1] |
The Little Chetco River is a tributary of the Chetco River in Curry County in the U.S. state of Oregon. [1] Its headwaters lie in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness near the border with Josephine County west of Cave Junction. It flows generally northwest through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest in the Klamath Mountains. [3]
The Chetco River is a 56-mile-long (90 km) stream located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately 352 square miles (912 km2) of Curry County. Flowing through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapidly from about 3,200 feet (975 m) to sea level at the Pacific Ocean. Except for the lowermost 5 miles (8 km), the river is located entirely within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The river rises in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, northwest of Chetco Peak at the junction of the Oregon Coast Range and the Klamath Mountains. It flows generally north, west, and then southwest, before emptying into the ocean between Brookings and Harbor, approximately 6 miles (10 km) north of the California state line. The Chetco River's watershed remains largely undeveloped, protected by the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The upper 45 miles (72 km) of the river have been designated Wild and Scenic since 1988.
Curry County is a county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,364. The county seat is Gold Beach. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory.
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.
The named tributaries of the Little Chetco River are, from source to mouth, Hawk Creek, which enters from the left; Ditch and Copper creeks, which enter from the right, and Henry Creek, left. [3]
Little Chetco Trail and other connecting trails maintained by the United States Forest Service pass through or near the Little Chetco River watershed. [4] These include the Emily Cabin Trail, the Kalmiopsis Rim Trail, and the Bailey Cabin Trail. [5]
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres (780,000 km2). Major divisions of the agency include the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Business Operations, and the Research and Development branch. Managing approximately 25% of federal lands, it is the only major national land agency that is outside the U.S. Department of the Interior.
