The Blackfoot River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) 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 ...
of the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
. Formed by the confluence of Diamond Creek and Lanes Creek, it flows to its mouth at the Snake River.
The river is part of the
Columbia River Basin
The Columbia River drainage basin is the drainage basin of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It covers . In common usage, the term often refers to a smaller area, generally the portion of the drainage basin th ...
.
The Blackfoot River's
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
is approximately in area.
[Upper Snake, Headwaters, Closed Basin Subbasins Plan Plan](_blank)
, Northwest Power and Conservation Council Its mean annual
discharge, as measured at by
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
gage 13068501 (Combination Blackfoot River and Bypass Channel near
Blackfoot, Idaho
Blackfoot (Shoshoni language: Soo-gahni) is a city in Bingham County, Idaho. The population was 11,907 at the time of the 2019 census. The city is the county seat of Bingham County. Blackfoot boasts the largest potato industry in any one area, and ...
), is , with a maximum daily recorded flow of , and a minimum of zero flow.
[Upper Snake River basin between Idaho Falls and Neeley (includes Willow Creek, Blackfoot and Portneuf River basins)](_blank)
Water Resources Data, Idaho, 2005
The river is named for the
Blackfoot Indians
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
even though they never lived in the area. It was first mapped by the
Lewis and Clark
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
expedition.
Course
The Blackfoot River is formed by the joining of Diamond and Lanes creeks, in the
Caribou-Targhee National Forest in
Caribou County near
Soda Springs, Idaho
Soda Springs is a city in Caribou County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 3,058 at the time of the 2010 census. The city has been the county seat of Caribou County since the county was organized in 1919. In the 1860s, Soda Springs serve ...
. It flows northwest through the
Blackfoot Reservoir Blackfoot Dam () is a dam in Caribou County, Idaho, in the eastern part of the state.
The earthen dam was completed in 1911 by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, with a height of and long at its crest. It impounds the Blackfoot River (Id ...
, which is used for irrigation and flood control, then west to join the Snake River in
Bingham County
Bingham County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 47,992. The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot.
Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...
.
The Blackfoot River's
headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
are very close to the headwaters of the
Bear River and the
Portneuf River. All three begin in a few square miles of relatively flat land near Soda Springs, from which some headwater streams flow north to the Blackfoot River, others south to the Bear River, and others west to the Portneuf River.
Watershed
The region the Blackfoot River flows through is covered in all its lowest portions with flows of
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
which had their origin in the Blackfoot –
Gem Valley
Gem Valley is a rural valley in Caribou County, Bannock, and Franklin counties in Idaho, United States, so named for its local gemstones which can be found throughout the valley. It is approximately wide at its widest point east to west, and ...
lava field. The Blackfoot River flows from open marsh and grasslands near its source into the Blackfoot Narrows. The Blackfoot Narrows traverses a desert canyon of primarily
sagebrush
Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west.
Following is an alph ...
and
juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...
habitat: an excellent place to view
birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...
. Fishing for
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
is usually good.
See also
*
List of rivers of Idaho
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Idaho.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Pacific Ocean
*''Columbia River (WA)''
**Snake River
***Palouse ...
*
List of longest streams of Idaho
A total of seventy streams that are at least long flow through the U.S. state of Idaho. All of these streams originate in the United States except the Kootenai River (third-longest) and the Moyie River (thirty-first-longest), both of which beg ...
*
Tributaries of the Columbia River
Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.
List of major tributaries
The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from t ...
References
External links
Map of the Blackfoot river area.Map of the Blackfoot river.Fishing Reports of the Blackfoot River.
{{authority control
Rivers of Idaho
Canyons and gorges of Idaho
Rivers of Bingham County, Idaho
Rivers of Caribou County, Idaho
Tributaries of the Snake River