Mountain Fork, also known as the Mountain Fork of the Little River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed June 3, 2011

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

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

in western

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

and southeastern

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

in the

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 territorie ...

. Via the Little and

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

rivers, it is part of the watershed of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Course

Taxodium distichum Lower Mt Fork River Oklahoma 2

The Mountain Fork rises in the

Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...

Le Flore County LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,384. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choct ...

, Oklahoma, and then flows southeastwardly into

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

, Arkansas, then southwestwardly into

McCurtain County McCurtain County is in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,151. Its county seat is Idabel. It was formed at statehood from part of the earlier Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory ...

, Oklahoma, where it turns southward for the remainder of its course. It joins the Little River in McCurtain County, southeast of Broken Bow. In its upper course, the river flows through a portion of the

Ouachita National Forest The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated United States National Forest, National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA. History The Ouachita National Forest is t ...

. In McCurtain County, the river is

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

med to form

Broken Bow Lake Broken Bow Lake is a reservoir in southeastern Oklahoma, located on Mountain Fork River and northeast of the town of Broken Bow in McCurtain County. It is one of the largest fresh water lakes within the state of Oklahoma, and a popular tour ...

. Nancy Branch is a tributary of the river.

Discharge

At Eagletown, the river has a mean annual discharge of .

Recreation and Conservation

The Upper Mountain Fork River offers of canoeing or kayaking from near

Hatfield, Arkansas Hatfield is a town in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 413 at the 2010 census. The headquarters of the Christian Motorcyclists Association is located in Hatfield. Geography Hatfield is located at (34.486997, -94.378304). ...

to Broken Bow Lake. This part of the river has Class I and II rapids. clear water, fishing for Smallmouth bass and other species, and excellent scenery with

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

forests covering the hills and bluffs along the river's course. Water levels in the river are generally adequate for boating year-round."Mountain Fork River" http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/littleok9.html, accessed 20 Apr 2013 On the upper portion of Broken Bow Lake is the McCurtain County Wilderness Area, an Oklahoma State-owned tract which contains the largest remaining virgin

Shortleaf Pine ''Pinus echinata'', the shortleaf pine, is a species of pine native to the southeastern United States. Description The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. The tree reaches heights of with a ...

/hardwood forest in the nation. Hunting is permitted in the Wilderness Area. Below Broken Bow dam and lake, the of the Lower Mountain Fork is described as the "consistently flowing and best whitewater stream" in Oklahoma. Class I and II rapids are found in the upper part of this section and paddlers must navigate waterfalls with a four foot (1.2 mt) drop.

Bald Cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...

trees line and, in some places, grow in the river. The cool waters issuing below Broken Bow dam provide year round habitat and fishing for

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

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 used ...

Trout which are stocked regularly throughout the year. In 2008, a 17 pound 4 ounce (7.8 kilogram) Brown Trout was caught by an angler in the Mountain Fork."Record Brown Trout" https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/recordfish/brownshattered.htm, accessed 20 Apr 2013

References

Columbia Gazetteer of North America
*

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

(2004). ''Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . *

(2003). ''Oklahoma Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . *

External links

Mountain Fork River
- Video footage of the area and a list of local activities and resources.
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control Rivers of Arkansas Rivers of Oklahoma Bodies of water of Le Flore County, Oklahoma Bodies of water of McCurtain County, Oklahoma Rivers of Polk County, Arkansas Tributaries of the Red River of the South

Course

Discharge

Recreation and Conservation

See also

References

External links