North Fork Smith River (California)

Last updated
North Fork Smith River
Country United States
States Oregon, California
County Curry County, Oregon, Del Norte County, California
Source Klamath Mountains
 - location Chetco Peak, Kalmiopsis Wilderness, Curry County , Oregon
 - elevation 3,879 ft (1,182 m) [1]
 - coordinates 42°08′16″N123°56′49″W / 42.13778°N 123.94694°W / 42.13778; -123.94694   [2]
Mouth Smith River
 - location Gasquet, Del Norte County , California
 - elevation 315 ft (96 m) [2]
 - coordinates 41°50′52″N123°58′08″W / 41.84778°N 123.96889°W / 41.84778; -123.96889 Coordinates: 41°50′52″N123°58′08″W / 41.84778°N 123.96889°W / 41.84778; -123.96889   [2]
Length 28 mi (45 km) [3]
Basin 158 sq mi (409 km2) [3]
Discharge
 - average 942 cu ft/s (27 m3/s) [3]
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of the North Fork Smith River in California
Type Wild, Scenic
Designated October 28, 1988

The North Fork Smith River is 28-mile (45 km) tributary of the Smith River that begins in the U.S. state of Oregon and ends in the U.S. state of California. Arising near Chetco Peak in the Klamath Mountains, it flows generally south to meet the Middle Fork Smith River at Gasquet, California. The combined streams form the Smith River. [4]

Smith River (California) river in northern California, United States

The Smith River is a river flowing from the Klamath Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in Del Norte County in extreme northwestern California, on the West Coast of the United States. It is about 25.1 miles (40.4 km) long, all within Del Norte County, and it flows through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

U.S. state constituent political entity of the United States

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.

Oregon State of the United States of America

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The parallel 42° north delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon is one of only three states of the contiguous United States to have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Wild and scenic

The entire 13 miles (21 km) of the river that lie within Oregon are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In 1988, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) was designated "wild" in two separate segments, from the headwaters to Horse Creek and from Baldface Creek to the Oregon–California border. The 4.5-mile (7.2 km) stretch between Horse and Baldface creeks was classified "scenic". [5]

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System geographical object

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Actof 1968, enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

Recreation

Hiking trails near the North Fork include North Fork Trail, which follows a ridge along the southeast edge of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon. Suitable for hikers and horseback riders, the 12.4-mile (20.0 km) trail passes through the area of the Biscuit Fire. [6]

Biscuit Fire

The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly 500,000 acres in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oregon. The Biscuit Fire was the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Oregon. The Biscuit Fire area is subject to warm, dry winds known as the Brookings effect, driven by high pressure over the Great Basin. The fire re-burned portions of the 1987 Silver Fire and subsequently burned in the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire.

Connected to the North Fork Trail is the Baldface Trail, which crosses Baldface Creek, a North Fork tributary. The 6.8-mile (10.9 km) trail, which also passes through the Biscuit Fire area, is suitable for day hiking but not for horse riding. [7]

The North Fork Trail also connects to the Kalmiopsis Rim Trail, which links to a large network of trails in and near the wilderness and other parts of the national forest. The Rim Trail alone is 28.4 miles (45.7 km) long. [8]

Sourdough Campground, undeveloped but open to dispersed camping in a meadow along the river, lies near the confluence of the North Fork with Baldface Creek in Oregon. [5] Further downstream, North Fork Campground is about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the lower river on the California side of the border in Six Rivers National Forest. The remote campground, open all year, has five sites for tent or trailer camping, picnic tables, fire rings, a vault toilet, and limited parking, but no drinking water or garbage pickup. [9]

Six Rivers National Forest national forest in the United States

Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on June 3, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. Its over one million acres (4,000 km2) of land contain a variety of ecosystems and 137,000 acres (550 km2) of old growth forest. It lies in parts of four counties; in descending order of forestland area they are Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, and Siskiyou counties. The forest is named after the Eel, Van Duzen, Klamath, Trinity, Mad, and Smith rivers, which pass through or near the forest's boundaries.

Lightly used by whitewater enthusiasts because it is difficult, remote, and often of insufficient flow for boating, the river is sometimes run for its lower 13 miles (21 km) in rafts or kayaks. This segment, all within California, is rated Class III (intermediate) and IV (advanced) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. [3]

Water quality

The North Fork's water is of outstanding quality, with low turbidity and almost no pollution. [5] Little logging or road building has occurred in its watershed, [3] and silting after storms is not a problem. [5] However, a proposed nickel mine along Baldface Creek threatens to pollute the river and damage its anadromous fish habitat as well as that of the main stem Smith River. [3] In 2012, the Red Flat Nickel Corporation asked permission from the United States Forest Service to allow exploratory mining along the creek. [10] Many local, state, and tribal agencies as well as environmental, fishing, and recreational organizations strongly oppose mining in the watershed. [11]

Tributaries

Named tributaries of the North Fork Smith River from source to mouth are Horse, Chrome, and Hardrock creeks. Then comes Packsaddle Gulch, Baldface, Fall, and Cedar creeks, followed by Diamond, Still, and Stony creeks. [4]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  2. 1 2 3 "North Fork Smith River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. January 19, 1981. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. pp. 123–24. ISBN   978-0-87071-627-0.
  4. 1 2 "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 30, 2015– via Acme Mapper.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Smith River (North Fork), Oregon". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ "North Fork Trail #1233". United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Baldface Trail #1215". United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Kalmiopsis Rim Trail #1124". United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ "North Fork Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Associated Press (May 4, 2014). "Nickel Mining Company May Mine Oregon Creek That Feeds Scenic California River". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  11. ↑ Moriarty, Liam (July 16, 2014). "Oregon Nickel Mining Proposal Runs Into Stiff Opposition". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
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