The Whitefish River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed January 5, 2019 southward-flowing
stream originating at the outlet of
Whitefish Lake. The 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 drai ...
of the
Stillwater River just before it reaches the
Flathead River
The Flathead River ( fla, label= Salish, člq̓etkʷ ntx̣ʷetkʷ, , kut, kananmituk), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Fla ...
in
Flathead County, 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 sove ...
of
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
. The Whitefish River is part of the
Columbia River basin, as the Flathead River is a tributary of
Clark Fork, which is tributary to the
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbi ...
, which is tributary to the Columbia River.
History
Whitefish River and Whitefish Lake were named in the 1850s for the abundant whitefish harvested there. The
Salish called them epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish".
Course
The Whitefish River originates in Whitefish Lake and flows generally south until it joins the
Stillwater River just before the
Flathead River
The Flathead River ( fla, label= Salish, člq̓etkʷ ntx̣ʷetkʷ, , kut, kananmituk), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Fla ...
about east of
Kalispell. The river's uppermost reach leaves the lake and flows through the city of
Whitefish for . The Whitefish River has three tributaries of significance. Small Cow Creek flows southwest and discharges into the river downstream from Whitefish Lake. Next, several headwater tributaries beginning in the
Whitefish Mountain Resort
Whitefish Mountain Resort is a ski resort in the western United States, located at Big Mountain in northwestern Montana. It is west of Glacier National Park in the Flathead National Forest, from the town of Whitefish, west of Columbia Fa ...
form Haskill Creek which flows south to the Whitefish River downstream from Whitefish Lake. The third tributary to Whitefish River is Walker Creek which begins in the southern flank of the
Whitefish Range
The Whitefish Range is a mountain range stretching north-south from British Columbia, Canada to Montana, United States. It is about long and wide. Water flowing from its east side drains down the North Fork Flathead River and its west side drains ...
and joins the river below the Whitefish Lake outlet.
Ecology
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) determined in 2014 that the Whitefish River was temperature-impaired, meaning that high temperature impairs aquatic life and that a reduction in water temperature of 0.99 °F was recommended.
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 ...
(''Salvelinus confluentus'') and
westslope cutthroat trout
The westslope cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi''), also known as the black-spotted trout, common cutthroat trout and red-throated trout is a subspecies of the cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'') and is a freshwater fish in t ...
(''Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi'') are considers indicator species of stream health, and are present in the Whitefish River, although in greatly diminished numbers. The primary threat to native cutthroat trout is hybridization with non-native
rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss''). A 2001 genetics study of cutthroat trout in the river showed 98.2% rainbow trout and 1.8% westslope cutthroat trout genetics in a sample of 15 fish.
[ Other native fish species include the river's namesake ]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 ...
(''Prosopium williamsoni''), largescale sucker
The largescale sucker (''Catostomus macrocheilus'') is a species of sucker, a type of freshwater fish, found in western North America.
Description
It has a rounded snout with a downturned mouth on its underside (as opposed to a mouth at end of ...
(''(Catostomus macrocheilus)''), longnose sucker
The longnose sucker (''Catostomus catostomus'') is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in ri ...
(''(Catostomus catostomus)''), northern pikeminnow
The Northern pikeminnow, Columbia River dace or formerly Squawfish (''Ptychocheilus oregonensis'') is a large member of the minnow family, Leuciscidae. This predatory freshwater fish is native to northwestern North America, ranging from the Nass ...
(''(Ptychocheilus oregonensis)''), peamouth chub
''Mylocheilus caurinus'', the peamouth, peamouth chub, redmouth sucker or northwestern dace, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows, that is found in western North America. It is the only sp ...
(''Mylocheilus caurinus,''), redside shiner
The redside shiner (''Richardsonius balteatus'') is a species of cyprinid fish found in the western United States and Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean ...
(''(Richardsonius balteatus)''), and slimy sculpin
The slimy sculpin (''Cottus cognatus'') is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the family Cottidae, which is the largest sculpin family. They usually inhabit cold rocky streams or lakes across North America, ranging from the Great Lakes, so ...
(''Cottus cognatus''). Non-native fish species include northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...
(''Esox lucius'') which preys on native trout species.[
]
See also
* Whitefish Lake
*Montana Stream Access Law
The Montana Stream Access Law says that anglers, floaters and other recreationists in Montana have full use of most natural waterways between the high-water marks for fishing and floating, along with swimming and other river or stream-related ac ...
*List of rivers of Montana
The following is a partial list of rivers of Montana (U.S. state).
East of Continental Divide
Water in these rivers flows east and south from the Continental Divide of the Americas, also known as the Great Divide, into the Gulf of Mexico via t ...
*Tributaries of the Columbia River
Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.
List of major tributaries
The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from ...
References
External links
Whitefish Lake Institute
{{Authority control
Rivers of Montana
Tributaries of the Columbia River
Rivers of Flathead County, Montana