Rapid River (Washington)

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The Rapid River is a tributary of the Beckler River in the U.S. state of Washington in the United States. It is 13 miles (21 km) long, [1] with a drainage basin of 41 square miles (106 km2). [2]

Tributary stream or river that flows into a main stem river or lake

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.

Beckler River river in the United States of America

The Beckler River is a tributary of the South Fork Skykomish River in the U.S. state of Washington in the United States.

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.

The Rapid River originates at 47°49′19″N121°7′28″W / 47.82194°N 121.12444°W / 47.82194; -121.12444 , [3] at Grouse Lake and at 47°49′40″N121°04′24″W / 47.82778°N 121.07333°W / 47.82778; -121.07333 on the west slopes of Jove Peak on the crest of the Cascades, 6 and 9 miles (10 and 14 km) east of the Beckler River. The latter source flows through Lake Janus—at 4,146 feet (1,264 m)—before meeting the Grouse Lake source creek, whereafter the river continues southwest. An early tributary comes from 4,742-foot (1,445 m) high Dow Lake, southwest of Union Pass and Union Peak, also on the Cascade crest. The Pacific Crest Trail follows the crest and parts of the high Rapid River basin. Both Jove and Union peaks are on the high crest of the Cascade Range, separating the Rapid River's drainage basin from the Little Wenatchee River drainage to the east. While the waters of the Rapid River ultimately empty into Puget Sound those of the Little Wenatchee enter the Columbia River via the Wenatchee River. [4]

Union Peak mountain in United States of America

Union Peak is a heavily eroded shield volcano in the Cascade Range of central Oregon, located along the Cascade Crest less than 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the rim of Crater Lake. Ice Age glaciers eroded away most of the flanks of the volcano, leaving numerous deep cirques surrounding a central glacial horn. This is the same process that formed the summit horns of Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, Howlock Mountain, and Mount Thielsen from other shield volcanoes farther north in the Oregon Cascades.

Pacific Crest Trail long-distance hiking and equestrian trail in the USA

The Pacific Crest Trail, officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is on the U.S. border with Mexico, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus on the Canada–US border on the edge of Manning Park in British Columbia; its corridor through the U.S. is in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Drainage basin Area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet

A drainage basin is any area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet, such as into a river, bay, or other body of water. The drainage basin includes all the surface water from rain runoff, snowmelt, and nearby streams that run downslope towards the shared outlet, as well as the groundwater underneath the earth's surface. Drainage basins connect into other drainage basins at lower elevations in a hierarchical pattern, with smaller sub-drainage basins, which in turn drain into another common outlet.

From its source near the crest of the Cascades the Rapid River flows southwest and west, collecting numerous headwater tributaries. The Rapid River makes a northward bend. Near the northernmost part of this bend a tributary stream originating in Cup Lake and Saucer Lake and Margaret Lake on the Cascade Crest joins. Soon the North Fork Rapid River joins as well, followed by Meadow Creek. The North Fork rises four miles to the north, its headwaters flowing from Pear Lake, Peach Lake, and Grass Lake, close to Wenatchee Pass on the Cascade crest. Some of the larger mountains in the Rapid River's basin include Valhalla Mountain, Scrabble Mountain, Scorpion Mountain, Sunrise Mountain, Evergreen Mountain, Grizzly Peak, and Fortune Mountain. [3] [4]

In terms of river size and streamflow, the true source of the South Fork Skykomish River is the Rapid River and Beckler River, even though the South Fork keeps its name above the Beckler confluence. [5]

See also

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Little Wenatchee River river in the United States of America

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Seven Fingered Jack mountain in United States of America

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Tye River (Washington) river in the United States of America

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Icicle Creek river in the United States of America

Icicle Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates at Josephine Lake near the crest of the Cascade Range and flows generally east to join the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth. Icicle Creek's drainage basin is mountainous and mostly undeveloped land within the Wenatchee National Forest and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The final 6 miles (10 km) of the creek are moderately developed with scattered homes and pasture, a golf course, children's camp, a small housing development called Icicle Island Club, and the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. Some water is diverted from the creek for municipal use by the City of Leavenworth at Icicle Creek river mile 5.6. Near Leavenworth, the wheelchair-accessible Icicle Creek Nature Trail, a National Recreation Trail designated in 2005, runs 1.0 mile (1.6 km) along a historic creek channel.

Albert Hale Sylvester American explorer

Albert Hale Slyvester was a pioneer surveyor, explorer, and forest supervisor in the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Washington. He was a topographer for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the Snoqualmie Ranger District between 1897 and 1907. Then, from 1908 to 1931, he served the United States Forest Service as the first forest supervisor of Wenatchee National Forest. His work involved the first detailed surveying and mapping of large portions of the Cascade Range in Washington, over the course of which he gave names to over 1,000 natural features. The surveying work often required placing cairns and other survey targets on top of mountains. He made the first ascents of a number of mountains in Washington. Over the course of his career he explored areas previously unknown to non-indigenous people. One such area, which Sylvester discovered, explored, and named, is The Enchantments. In 1944, while leading a party of friends to one of his favorite parts of the mountains, Sylvester was mortally wounded when his horse panicked and lost his footing on a steep and rocky slope.

Feather Headwaters

The Feather Headwaters are 3 watersheds totaling 3,450 sq mi (8,900 km2) and which drain to Lake Oroville. The North Fork Feather Watershed is 1,090 sq mi (2,800 km2)—including the West Branch drainage of about 282.5 sq mi (732 km2). The East Branch North Fork Feather Watershed is 1,010 sq mi (2,600 km2), and the Middle Fork Feather Watershed is 1,350 sq mi (3,500 km2)—including the South Fork drainage of about 132 sq mi (340 km2). Headwaters drainage is impaired by the Palermo Canal at Oroville Dam, the Hendricks Canal at the West Branch Feather River, and the Miners Ranch Canal at the South Fork's Ponderosa Reservoir. Additionally, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company releases Upper Feather water into the Hyatt Generating-Pumping Plant for hydroelectric generation during daily peak demand.

References

  1. "National Hydrography Dataset". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 4 September 2010. ArcExplorer GIS data viewer.
  2. "Watershed Boundary Dataset". USDA, NRCS, National Cartography & Geospatial Center. Retrieved 4 September 2010. ArcExplorer GIS data viewer.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rapid River
  4. 1 2 General course info mainly from USGS topographic maps accessed via the "GNIS in Google Map" feature of the USGS Geographic Names Information System website.
  5. Beckey, Fred (2003). Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers. pp. 32, 31, 48. ISBN   0-89886-423-2.