The Piscataquis River is a major

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

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's We ...

, found in

Piscataquis County, Maine Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,800, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft. The county was incorporated on March 23, 1838, ta ...

, United States. It starts from the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of its East Branch and

West Branch West Branch may refer to: Communities * West Branch, Iowa, city in Cedar and Johnson counties * West Branch, Michigan, city in Ogemaw County * West Branch, New Brunswick, in the Local Service District of Weldford Parish * West Branch River John, i ...

() in

Blanchard Blanchard is a French family name. It is also used as a given name. It derives from the Old French word ''blanchart'' which meant "whitish, bordering upon white". It is also an obsolete term for a white horse. Geographical distribution As of 2014, ...

. The river flows in a mostly eastern direction until it meets the Penobscot at Howland. It is approximately in length. The United States government maintains three river flow gauges on the Piscataquis river. The first is at Blanchard () where the rivershed is . Flow here has ranged from 7,550 to . The second is near

Dover-Foxcroft, Maine Dover-Foxcroft is the largest town in and the seat of Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,422 at the 2020 census. The town is located near the geographic center of the state. History Dover-Foxcroft was originally tw ...

() where the rivershed is . Flow here has ranged from 37,300 to per second. The third is in

Medford, Maine Medford is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 230 at the 2020 census. History In 1808 James Grover was the first white settler in what is now Medford. In 1820, the state opened a road from the Piscataquis Ri ...

() where the rivershed is . Flow here has ranged from 60,100 to per second. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

runs along the West Branch of the Piscataquis, crossing the East Branch just upstream from their joining. The river is impounded by the Howland Dam at its confluence with the Penobscot River.

References

Rivers of Penobscot County, Maine Rivers of Piscataquis County, Maine Tributaries of the Penobscot River North Maine Woods Rivers of Maine {{Maine-river-stub

External links

References