- elevation 1,654 ft (504 m) Basin area 189.1 km² | - elevation 0 ft (0 m) Source Elochoman Lake Country United States of America | |
- location Elochoman Slough, Wahkiakum County, Washington | ||
Elochoman river 01 15 16
The Elochoman River is a tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is about 15 miles (24 km) long.
Contents
- Elochoman river 01 15 16
- Map of Elochoman River Washington USA
- Elochoman river august 11th 2016
- CourseEdit
- Natural historyEdit
- References
Map of Elochoman River, Washington, USA
The river's name comes from the name of a Cathlamet (Chinookan) village.
Elochoman river august 11th 2016
CourseEdit
The Elochoman River's headwater's start from Elochoman Lake, in Cowlitz County, from which it flows west for several miles. Joined by the tributary East Fork and North Fork, the main river turns south. After a few miles the West Fork tributary joins. From there the main Elochoman River flows south and southwest. Its river valley widens into a broad flat bottomland called the Upper Elochoman Valley. Then the river passes through a short but narrow gorge, after which it meanders through the Lower Elochoman Valley.
In its final reach the Elochoman River flows through the sloughs and wetlands of the Columbia River's estuary. The mouth of the river is on Elochoman Slough, a 3-mile (4.8 km) long side-channel of the Columbia River located east of Hunting Islands, northwest of Cathlamet. Much of the lower Elochoman River, Elochoman Slough, and Hunting Island are part of the Columbian White-tailed Deer National Wildlife Refuge.
Natural historyEdit
The Elochoman River supports populations of Chinook, Coho, and Chum salmon, as well winter-run steelhead trout. The steelhead, which routinely number over 1,000 annually, are a draw for sport fishing. The largest salmon (Chinook) ever caught in freshwater in Washington State was caught here by Mark Salmon on Oct 5th, 1992, his catch weighed 68lbs. and 4 ounces.