The South Fork Wenaha River is a tributary of the

Wenaha River The Wenaha River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, about long, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river begins at the confluence of its north and south forks in the Blue Mountains and flows east through the Wenaha–Tucannon Wildernes ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The river begins in the Blue Mountains south of Bone Spring in

Wallowa County Wallowa County () is the northeastern most county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,391, making it Oregon's fifth-least populous county. Its county seat is Enterprise. According to ''Oregon Geographic Name ...

near its border with Union County. From there it flows generally northeast through the Wenaha–Tucannon Wilderness of the

Umatilla National Forest The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2). In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Umatilla, Grant, Columbi ...

to meet the

North Fork Wenaha River The North Fork Wenaha River is a tributary, long, of the Wenaha River in the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. The river begins in the Blue Mountains in Columbia County, Washington, and flows generally southeast through the Wenaha–Tuc ...

. The combined forks form the

main stem In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...

Wenaha, a tributary of the

Grande Ronde River The Grande Ronde River ( or, less commonly, ) is a tributary of the Snake River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 3, 2011 in northeastern Oregon and southeastern ...

. Named tributaries of the South Fork Wenaha from source to mouth are Milk and Trapper creeks followed by Cougar Canyon. Then come Jaussard and Elk creeks.

Recreation

The main path along the South Fork is the Wenaha River Trail, a route with trailheads at

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

and Timothy Springs. It runs parallel to the main stem between Troy and Wenaha Forks and roughly parallel to the South Fork upstream of the confluence. This trail connects to other wilderness paths: Elk Flat, Hoodoo, and Cross Canyon trails. The trail system is used by hikers, backpackers, and horse riders. It offers panoramic views, access to fishing, and suitable spots for dispersed camping. It is also remote, involves significant elevation changes, can be extremely hot in summer, and is frequented by rattlesnakes.

References

Rivers of Wallowa County, Oregon Rivers of Oregon {{Oregon-river-stub

Recreation

See also

References