The Lewis River is an
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed May 4, 2011 tributary of the
Snake River. The entire course of the river is located within the boundaries of
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
, US. The river is named for
Meriwether Lewis, commander of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...
.
The Lewis River begins at the southern end of
Shoshone Lake
Shoshone Lake is a U.S. backcountry lake with the area of elevated at in the southwest section of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It lies at the headwaters of the Lewis River a tributary of the Snake River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser ...
and flows southerly approximately to
Lewis Lake. This short stretch of the river is the only portion of the river where boating is permitted. The river reemerges at the southern end of Lewis Lake and flows in a general southerly direction through a steep canyon roughly paralleling the south entrance road toward the south entrance of the park. Below Lewis Lake the river passes over several cascades and waterfalls including
Lewis Falls. Shortly before leaving the park, the Lewis River merges with the Snake River, changing the course of the Snake southward. The Snake soon flows out of Yellowstone into
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...
and
Jackson Lake.
The Lewis River has
rapids up to Class VI and takes a drop at Lewis Falls, the most famous of many waterfalls and rapids on this short but scenic river.
Brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
,
rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
and
Yellowstone cutthroat trout
The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri'') is a subspecies of the cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii''). It is a freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae). Native only to a few U.S. states, their ...
are found in the river.
File:Lewis River YNP1.jpg, Lewis River
File:Lewis Falls.jpg, Lewis Falls
See also
*
Fishes of Yellowstone National Park
The fish of Yellowstone National Park, in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (U.S.), include 13 native fish species and six introduced or non-native species. Angling for trout has been a pastime in the park since its creation and trout species dominate ...
*
Heart River
References
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Rivers of Yellowstone National Park
Rivers of Wyoming
Tributaries of the Snake River
Rivers of Teton County, Wyoming
Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States