The Metolius River (pronounced ''muh TOLL ee us'') is a tributary of the Deschutes River (through

Lake Billy Chinook Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created by the Round Butte Dam in 1964, Lake Billy Chinook lies in a canyon at the confluence of the Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius rivers near Culver and Madr ...

) in

Central Oregon Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, near the city of

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

. The river flows north from springs near Black Butte, then turns sharply east, descending through a series of gorges before ending in the western end of the lake. The unincorporated community of Camp Sherman lies astride the southern end of the river. The name of the river comes from the Warm Springs or

Sahaptin The Sahaptin are a number of Native American tribes who speak dialects of the Sahaptin language. The Sahaptin tribes inhabited territory along the Columbia River and its tributaries in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Sahaptin-s ...

word ''mitula'', meaning ''white salmon'' and referring to a light colored

Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...

and not a whitefish. The 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, ...

is in area and, according to at least one estimate, contains of perennial streams, of intermittent streams, 42 lakes, and 121 ponds.

Headwaters

The

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 ...

of the river are at Metolius Springs, where the river emerges from two clusters of springs at the base of Black Butte. Water flows to these springs from the drainage basin around

Black Butte Ranch Black Butte Ranch is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated private resort community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located in the Cascade Range, northwest of Sisters. The population was 366 at the 2010 census. ...

, several miles to the south. The elevation of the drainage basin is above that of the springs, forming a natural standpipe that tends to stabilize the river's rate of flow. As a consequence, the water level in the Metolius River is relatively constant. The rate of flow at the headwaters is approximately or 50,000 gallons per minute), although it grows by an additional or 600,000 gallons per minute) by the time the river reaches Lake Billy Chinook. Similarly, the water temperature is also stable; at the river source, the water temperature is a consistent .

General

The Metolius River flows from Metolius Springs through the

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National F ...

, emptying into Lake Billy Chinook and ultimately the Deschutes River. The upper of the river are popular for

catch-and-release fishing Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

picnicking A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

, and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

. The lower are on the boundary of the

Warm Springs Indian Reservation The Warm Springs Indian Reservation consists of in north-central Oregon, in the United States, and is governed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Tribes Three tribes form the confederation: the Wasco, Tenino (Warm Springs) and P ...

, and flow by "a primitive area where motorized vehicles are not allowed." The Metolius River was officially designated a

National Wild and Scenic River The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

in 1988."Metolius River, Oregon"
Public Land Information Center, Public Lands Interpretive Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2008. Many of the summer homes along the Metolius River are constructed on

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

land, under provisions of a 1915 act of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, and are generally required to be set back from the river at least , allowing public access to the river.

Wildlife

The Metolius River supports a broad cross-section of the wildlife present in the

region. The river itself is home to several fish species, including rainbow trout,

bull trout The bull trout (''Salvelinus confluentus'') is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, ''S. confluentus'' has been known as the " Dolly Varden" (''S. malma''), but was reclassified as a separate speci ...

kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrat ...

and

mountain whitefish The mountain whitefish (''Prosopium williamsoni'') is one of the most widely distributed salmonid fish of western North America. It is found from the Mackenzie River drainage in Northwest Territories, Canada south through western Canada and ...

. Larger animals including river otters and beaver inhabit the areas in and immediately around the river, and larger land mammals, including

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

, elk,

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, and cougar range in the surrounding area. Migratory waterbirds such as the mallard and the Canada goose are common in the spring and summer, as are raptors such as the

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

and the

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members wit ...

. The white-headed woodpecker, generally rare and of interest to many birders, is quite common in several areas along the river.Birds of the Metolius Basin, Metolius River Association

Recreation

Sport fishing for rainbow trout and

is fly-fishing only on the upper Metolius—and catch-and-release, with barbless hooks. A number of small resorts and shops cater to fishermen and other visitors, principally in the community of Camp Sherman."Camp Sherman"
Metolius Recreation Association, Online Highway.com, Camp Sherman, Oregon, 24 August 2008. Hiking and horseback riding are popular activities in the area, particularly on the upper, southern portion of the river, with trails extending up and down the river and into the forests on both sides. There are also a number of developed campgrounds on the banks of the river. Fishing, rafting, hunting and cross-country skiing are all popular seasonal activities. The Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery is about north of the headwaters. This hatchery raises rainbow trout, kokanee, and salmon. The hatchery is open to visitors, with various species of trout and other fish on display in ponds.Wizard Falls Hatchery
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Coordinates

Coordinates from

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

list one point per 7.5 minute map. The source and mouth are not repeated here.

References

External links

*
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council
{{authority control Rivers of Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States Rivers of Jefferson County, Oregon Tributaries