West Twin River (Washington)

Last updated
West Twin River
Country United States
State Washington
County Clallam
Source Olympic Mountains
 - coordinates 48°6′11″N124°2′32″W / 48.10306°N 124.04222°W / 48.10306; -124.04222   [1]
Mouth Strait of Juan de Fuca
 - coordinates 48°9′56″N123°57′10″W / 48.16556°N 123.95278°W / 48.16556; -123.95278 Coordinates: 48°9′56″N123°57′10″W / 48.16556°N 123.95278°W / 48.16556; -123.95278   [1]
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
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Location of the mouth of the West Twin River in Washington

The West Twin River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca just east of East Twin River. [2]

Olympic Peninsula peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Hood Canal. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, and Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point, are on the peninsula. Comprising about 3600 square miles, the Olympic Peninsula contained many of the last unexplored places in the Contiguous United States. It remained largely unmapped until Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon mapped most of its topography and timber resources between 1898 and 1900.

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.

Olympic Mountains mountain range

The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus is the highest at 7,965 ft (2,428 m); however, the eastern slopes rise out of Puget Sound from sea level and the western slopes are separated from the Pacific Ocean by the low-lying 20 to 35 km wide Pacific Ocean coastal plain. The western slopes are the wettest place in the 48 contiguous states. Most of the mountains are protected within the bounds of Olympic National Park and adjoining segments of the Olympic National Forest.

Contents

Course

The West Twin River originates in the Olympic National Forest in the northern portion of Olympic Peninsula. It flows north and east, entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca near the town of Twin, less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of the mouth of the East Twin River. [2]

Olympic National Forest

Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of 628,115 acres (2,541.89 km2), it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Mason counties. The landscape of the national forest varies, from the temperate Olympic rain forest to the salt water fjord of Hood Canal to the peaks of Mt. Washington.

See also

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Sol Duc River river in the United States of America

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Skagit Bay

Skagit Bay is a bay and strait located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Whidbey Island Basin of Puget Sound. The Skagit River empties into Skagit Bay. To the south, Skagit Bay connects with the rest of Puget Sound via Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound. The boundary between Saratoga Passage and Skagit Bay is between Polnell Point on Whidbey Island and Rocky Point on Camano Island. To the northwest, Skagit Bay connects to the Strait of Juan de Fuca via the narrow strait of Deception Pass. A third waterway, the Swinomish Channel, connects Skagit Bay with Padilla Bay to the north.

Pysht River river in the United States of America

The Pysht River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates near Ellis Mountain in the northern Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula and flows generally north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Pysht and nearby Hoko River are the two largest streams flowing into the southwestern portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The watershed of the Pysht River drains a region of industrial forest lands; 98% of the watershed is zoned commercial forestry and the remainder rural. Nearly all of the forests have been logged at least once and most trees are less than thirty years old. The upper portions of the watershed, which feature steep gradients, are owned by the United States Forest Service. The lower reaches, with low gradients, are largely owned by two industrial forest owners.

East Twin River (Washington) river in the United States of America

The East Twin River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca just east of West Twin River.

Sail River river in the United States of America

The Sail River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Waatch River river in the United States of America

The Waatch River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The name "Waatch" comes from the Makah village name /waʔač'/, said to mean "bundling up cedar to make a torch".

Ozette River river in the United States of America

The Ozette River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean.

Dickey River river in the United States of America

The Dickey River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It has three main forks, the East Fork, West Fork, and Middle Fork Dickey Rivers. The main stem is formed by the confluence of the East and West Forks. The river and its forks rise in the northwestern part of the Olympic Peninsula and flow generally south and west to join the Quillayute River near its mouth on the Pacific Ocean.

Chehalis Gap

The Chehalis Gap is a gap in the Coast Range of Washington State between the southernmost foothills of the Olympic Mountains called the Satsop Hills, and the Willapa Hills.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Twin River
  2. 1 2 General course info from USGS topographic maps accessed via the "GNIS in Google Map" feature of the USGS Geographic Names Information System website.


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