The Naches 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

Yakima River The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam (or the Lower Snake River Chamnapam Nat ...

in central

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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 ...

. Beginning as the Little Naches River, it is about 75 miles (121 km) long. After the confluence of the Little Naches and

Bumping River The Bumping River is a tributary of the Naches River, in Washington in the United States. It flows down the east side of the Cascade Range, through Wenatchee National Forest and the William O. Douglas Wilderness. From its source at Fish Lake near ...

the name becomes simply the Naches River. The Naches and its tributaries drain a portion of the eastern side of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, east of

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

and northeast of Mount Adams. In terms of discharge, the Naches River is the largest tributary of the Yakima River. In its upper reaches, the Naches River basin includes rugged mountains and wildernesses. The lower Naches River and its tributary the Tieton River flow through valleys with towns and irrigated orchards northwest of

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...

, where the Naches River joins the Yakima River. Historically, the river served as an important travel corridor between the east and west sides of the Cascades, via

Naches Pass Naches Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. It is located about east of Tacoma and about northwest of Yakima, near the headwaters of tributary streams of the Naches River on the east and the ...

, used by both Native Americans and

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

s. The river's name comes from the Indian words "naugh", meaning rough or turbulent, and "chez", meaning water. Among numerous spellings used historically, "Naches" is the official spelling in the

Geographic Names Information System 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 ...

(GNIS), however "Nachess" was official according to the

Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

from 1898 to 1900.

Course

The Little Naches River begins in several forks near

and boundaries of

Yakima County Yakima County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 256,728. The county seat and largest city is Yakima. The county was formed out of Ferguson County in January 1865 and is named for the Yakam ...

Kittitas County Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...

, Pierce County, and King County. The Yakima-Kittitas county line follows the upper Little Naches and Naches rivers, but most of the Naches River basin is in Yakima County. Pierce and King counties are bounded by the water divide between

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

and the Columbia River. Thus the tributaries of the Naches River reach up to, but not across, the Pierce and King county lines. The Little Naches River begins at the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork Little Naches River. After flowing southeast for about 20 miles (32 km) the Little Naches River joins the Bumping River to form the Naches River proper. The Little Naches River basin includes the eastern portion of the

Norse Peak Wilderness Norse Peak Wilderness is a designated wilderness area located in central Washington in the United States. It protects the portion of the Cascade Range north of Chinook Pass ( Highway 410), south of Naches Pass (Naches Trail), and east of Moun ...

, northeast of Mount Rainier. The Bumping River flows from headwaters near the southeastern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park and the Lewis County line. The river flows northeast into

Bumping Lake Bumping Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of the Bumping River, in Yakima County, Washington state, USA. Bumping Lake has also named as "Lake Plehnam" by Preston's Map of Oregon and Washington in the 1850s, and "Tannum Lake" by the Un ...

a natural lake enlarged by a dam. Below the dam, the Bumping River flows northeast to its confluence with the Little Naches River. Just before the confluence the Bumping River picks up its main tributary, the

American River , name_etymology = , image = American River CA.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = The American River at Folsom , map = Americanrivermap.png , map_size = 300 , map_caption ...

. The American River has its source several forks near

Chinook Pass Chinook Pass (elevation 5430 ft./1656 m.) is a pass through the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. The pass is located on the crest of the Cascade Range, along a ridge between Yakima Peak to the northwest of the pass, and Naches Pea ...

and the eastern boundary of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

. For most of its course, the American River valley is shared with State Route 410, which crosses the Cascades at Chinook Pass. Below the confluence of the Little Naches and Bumping rivers, the Naches River flows southeast through

Nile Valley The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

, where it collects Nile Creek and Rattlesnake Creek. Then the river enters Naches Valley, where it collects its largest tributary, the

Tieton River The Tieton River is a tributary of the Naches River, in Yakima County, Washington in the United States. The Tieton River begins in two forks, the North Fork Tieton River and South Fork Tieton River. The North Fork originates at McCall Glacier on ...

. Naches Valley is home to the towns of Naches and Tieton. The valley is filled with orchards, mainly growing apples. Irrigation water arrives via canals tapping both the Tieton and Naches rivers. The Tieton River begins at Rimrock Lake, an artificial

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, which in turn is fed by several streams draining part of the

Goat Rocks Wilderness Goat Rocks Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in Washington, United States, comprising of Okanagan–Wenatchee National Forest and Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the crest of the Cascade Range south of U.S. Highway 12. Its central featu ...

. The William O. Douglas Wilderness is also part of the Naches River basin. Below the Tieton River confluence, the Naches River collects Cowiche Creek, then flows east along the northern side of the city of Yakima, joining the Yakima River there.

Recreation

Much of the Naches River basin is national forest and wilderness land, including parts of

Wenatchee National Forest Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres (2,711.55 sq mi, or 7,022.89 km²), it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from ...

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

, and

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a National Forest located in southern Washington, managed by the United States Forest Service. With an area of 1.32 million acres (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Ran ...

, as well as parts of Norse Peak Wilderness, William O. Douglas Wilderness, Goat Rocks Wilderness. The

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

follows, approximately, the high water divide of the Cascades, along the headwaters of many of the streams of the Naches River basin.

White Pass Ski Area The White Pass Ski Area is a ski area in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, in the Cascade Range at White Pass in the state of Washington. It is located west of Yakima on U.S. Route 12, and east of Morton. As the crow flies, the pass i ...

is located near White Pass and the headwaters of the Tieton River.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Washington (state) Rivers of Yakima County, Washington Rivers of Kittitas County, Washington Tributaries of the Yakima River

Course

Recreation

See also

References