The Alsea River flows from

Alsea The Alsea are a Native American tribe of Western Oregon. They are (since 1856), confederated with other Tribes on the Siletz Reservation, Oregon, and are members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. Their origin story says that the Yaquina, Als ...

, an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

community in the coastal mountains of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

near the city of Waldport. It begins at the confluence of the

North Fork Alsea River The North Fork Alsea River is a tributary of the Alsea River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at Klickitat Lake, fed by Klickitat and Lake creeks in the Central Oregon Coast Range, and flows generally south to near Alsea, where it joins t ...

and the

South Fork Alsea River The South Fork Alsea River is a tributary of the Alsea River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at northeast of Horton on the east side of the Central Oregon Coast Range and flows generally northwest to near Alsea. There it joins the North For ...

and ends in Alsea Bay, a wide

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

at Waldport. The map quadrants include river mile (RM) markers for the river's entire length. The river flows generally west-northwest in a winding course through the mountains of southern Benton and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

counties, passing near the unincorporated community of Tidewater and through the

Siuslaw National Forest The Siuslaw National Forest ( ) is a national forest in western Oregon in the United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes. Geography The Siuslaw Nati ...

. Its drainage basin extends into Lane County, along the headwaters of the South Fork Alsea River. The Alsea River supports runs of chinook and

coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name i ...

, as well as

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

and

coastal cutthroat trout The coastal cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii''), also known as the sea-run cutthroat trout, blue-back trout or harvest trout, is one of the several subspecies of cutthroat trout found in Western North America. The coastal cutthroa ...

. The Alsea River Fish Hatchery is along one of its tributaries, the North Fork Alsea River.

Course

The Alsea River begins in the

Central Oregon Coast Range The Central Oregon Coast Range is the middle section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, and located in the west-central portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Salmon River and t ...

near the unincorporated community of

, and flows generally west about to the Pacific Ocean at Waldport, on the west coast of the United States. Formed by the confluence of the South Fork Alsea River and the North Fork Alsea River, the stream meanders through the

for all but the last of its course.

Oregon Route 34 Oregon Route 34 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon that runs between the city of Waldport on the Oregon Coast and the city of Lebanon in the western part of the state. OR 34 traverses the Alsea Highway No. 27 from Waldport ...

follows the river closely, crossing it once about from the mouth. During its first or so, the river receives Cathcart Creek, Roberts Creek, and Mill Creek, all from the

right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...

, and passes Mill Creek Boat Landing on the right. Oregon Route 34 parallels the river on the north; that is, on the right facing downstream. Here the river begins a long, roughly U-shaped loop around the south end of Digger Mountain, which rises to above sea level at coordinates . Along this stretch, which is about long, the river passes under Hayden Covered Bridge; receives Schoolhouse Creek from the right, Birch Creek from the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

, and Narrows Creek and Maltby Creek from the right, passes Campbell Boat Landing on the right and Salmonberry Boat Landing on the left, goes under Salmonberry Road, receives Salmonberry Creek from the left, passes Missouri Bend Recreation Site and Boat Ramp on the left, and receives Benner Creek from the left and Digger Creek from the right. Slightly west of the mountain, about from the mouth, the river leaves Benton County, and enters Lincoln County. Passing Little Digger Mountain on the right, the river receives Fall Creek from the right, Cow Creek and Minotti Creek from the left, and Wolf Creek, Phillips Creek, Cedar Creek, and Butter Creek from the right as it passes Trenholm Saddle, a mountain gap at coordinates on the right about from the mouth. About later, the river begins another U-shaped loop of about around the south end of Stoney Mountain, which rises to above sea level. Flowing around Stoney Mountain, the Alsea River receives Five Rivers and Lake Creek from the left, passes Blackberry Campground on the left, receives Grass Creek and Brush Creek from the left and Schoolhouse Creek from the right, passes Mike Bauer Picnic Grounds on the right and, shortly thereafter, a USGS gauging station on the right from the mouth. About further downstream, the river passes Slide Campground on the right before entering Hellion Rapids at coordinates . Downstream of the rapids, the river receives Scott Creek, Slide Creek, and Hatchery Creek, all from the right, and Line Creek from the left before reaching the unincorporated community of Tidewater, about from the mouth. Between Tidewater and Alsea Bay, the river receives Mill Creek and Squaw Creek from the right, Canal Creek from the left, Risley Creek from the right, passes under Oregon Route 34, which then parallels the river on the south or left, and receives Arnold Creek from the left at about from the mouth. About later, it leaves the Siuslaw National Forest. Shortly thereafter, it receives

Southworth Creek Southworth Creek is a stream, about long, in Lincoln County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a tributary of the Alsea River, which it enters upstream of Waldport and the Pacific Ocean. It flows north from the slopes of Burnt Timber Mountain to ...

and Constantine Creek from the left and Drift Creek from the right. It receives Eckman Creek from the left, passes W. B. Nelson State Recreation Site on the left about from the mouth and enters Alsea Bay. As part of the bay, it receives Lint Creek from the left, passes Waldport on the left, flows under

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

, and enters the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the bay.

Notes and references

External links

* {{authority control Rivers of Oregon Rivers of Benton County, Oregon Rivers of Lane County, Oregon Rivers of Lincoln County, Oregon Drainage basins of the Pacific Ocean Oregon Coast Range Siuslaw National Forest

Course

See also

Notes and references

External links