Hills Creek is a tributary, about long, of the
Middle Fork Willamette River
The Middle Fork Willamette River is one of several forks that unite to form the Willamette River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is approximately long, draining an area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, which is at t ...
in the U.S. state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. From its headwaters on Juniper Ridge in the
Cascade Range, the creek flows northwest through
Lane County and the
Willamette National Forest
The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon.
It comprises . Over 380,000 acres (694 mi2, 1,540 km2) are designated wilderness which include seve ...
for its entire course.
Hills Creek enters the
Hills Creek Reservoir at
Hills Creek Dam
Hills Creek Dam is a dam about southeast of Oakridge in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It impounds Hills Creek Reservoir, which has a surface area of and a shoreline of roughly , on the Middle Fork Willamette River.
Constructed in 1961 b ...
on the Middle Fork about upstream from
Oakridge.
Forest Road
Forest tracks or forest roads are roads or tracks intended to carry motorised vehicles or horse-drawn wagons being used mainly or exclusively for forestry purposes, such as conservation or logging. Forest tracks may be open to ramblers or mountain ...
23 (Hills Creek Road) runs roughly parallel to the creek for most of its length.
Hills Creek was named for John J. Hill, who settled near the
mouth of the creek in 1870. The dam and lake take their names from the creek.
Recreation
The lower of the creek are stocked with
rainbow trout that reach in length. The stream also supports wild
coastal cutthroat trout.
Whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
enthusiasts sometimes run a stretch of the creek that has been called "one of the more demanding creeks in the Eugene area".
(
Eugene is about northwest of the mouth of the creek.)
Rapids vary from class 4 to 5 on the
International Scale of River Difficulty.
Debris from logging adds to the many dangers on this run.
See also
*
List of rivers of Oregon
This is a partial listing of rivers in the state of Oregon, United States. This list of Oregon rivers is organized alphabetically and by tributary structure. The list may also include streams known as creeks, brooks, forks, branches and prongs, as ...
References
External links
Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council
{{authority control
Rivers of Lane County, Oregon
Rivers of Oregon