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Klamath River
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Klamath River
The Klamath River (Karuk: Ishkêesh, Klamath: Koke, Yurok: Hehlkeek 'We-Roy) is a 257-mile (414 km) long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls in the Oregon high desert, it flows west through the Cascade Range and Klamath Mountains before reaching the temperate rainforest of California's North Coast, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath River is the third-largest salmon and steelhead producing river on the west coast of the contiguous United States. The river's watershed – the Klamath Basin – encompasses more than 15,000 square miles (39,000 km2), and is known for its biodiverse forests, large areas of designated wilderness, and freshwater marshes that provide key migratory bird habitat.
Native Americans have used the river as a source of food and trade for thousands of years, and it continues to hold great cultural significance for tribes. Most lands along the upper Klamath were settled by Euro-Americans following exploration by fur trappers in the early to mid-19th century. Violent conflict and displacement of tribes occurred during the California Gold Rush as prospectors pushed into the lower Klamath basin, leading to a bitter fight over establishing reservation lands. In the early 20th century, the federal government drained the upper basin's once extensive lakes and wetlands for agriculture, while private utilities constructed hydroelectric dams along the river. As salmon runs declined in the mid-20th century, tribes pushed for legal recognition of their senior water rights to support Klamath River fisheries, which have led to controversial reductions in irrigation water supply.
In the 21st century, the Klamath River hosts a wide variety of uses, including tribal subsistence fishing and ceremonies, recreational fishing and whitewater boating, and agricultural and domestic water supply. Starting in 1981, much of the Klamath River and its tributaries have been designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were demolished by October 2024, following almost two decades of negotiations between local representatives, tribes, conservation groups and the utility company operating the dams. This enabled salmon migration to the Upper Klamath Basin for the first time in over 100 years, and established new guidelines for Klamath water use to achieve a compromise between agricultural needs and fishery flows.
The official beginning of the Klamath River is at Lake Ewauna, a small natural lake near Klamath Falls, Oregon. The primary inflow of Lake Ewauna is the short Link River, which connects it to Upper Klamath Lake. Upper Klamath, in turn, is fed by the Williamson River (originating in the Winema National Forest) and Wood River (originating in Crater Lake National Park). For the first 18 miles (29 km) below Lake Ewauna, the Klamath River takes a slow meandering course through what was formerly the Klamath Marshes, which were drained for agriculture in the early 20th century. An artificial channel diverts water from the Lost River, which normally flows into Tule Lake, into the Klamath during periods of high runoff.
Below Keno Dam (which controls the level of the upstream Klamath River and Lake Ewauna), the river flows swiftly through the narrow Klamath River Canyon, which cuts through volcanic rock of the southern Cascade Range. Entering Siskiyou County, California, it passes the former sites of four hydroelectric dams operated by PacifiCorp until their demolition in 2024. After passing under Interstate 5, the Klamath receives the Shasta River from the left then flows west into the Siskiyou Mountains (a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains), entering the Klamath National Forest. It receives the Scott River from the left, passing through Seiad Valley and Happy Camp. Turning south, it flows towards Somes Bar, where it receives the Salmon River from the left as it enters Humboldt County and the Six Rivers National Forest. After passing Orleans, the Klamath reaches Weitchpec, where it receives the Trinity River, its largest tributary, from the left. State Route 96 follows the Klamath River for 137 miles (220 km) from Hornbrook to Weitchpec.
Downstream of the Trinity River, the Klamath turns sharply northwest. The entire 44-mile (71 km) lower section of the river flows through coast redwood forests in the Yurok Indian Reservation. State Route 169 follows most of this section of the river, except for an unconstructed segment between river miles 8–23 (13–37 km) which is only accessible by boat. The river enters Del Norte County, where Highway 101 bridges it at the town of Klamath. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at a tidal estuary near Requa, in an area shared by the Yurok Reservation and Redwood National and State Parks, about 16 miles (26 km) south of Crescent City.
The Klamath River watershed, known as the Klamath Basin, drains parts of Klamath, Lake and Jackson Counties in Oregon and Siskiyou, Modoc, Trinity, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in California. About 37 percent of the basin is in Oregon and 63 percent is in California. More than half of the Klamath Basin is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, on the Fremont, Winema, and Rogue River National Forests in Oregon and the Modoc, Klamath, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests in California. The Klamath Basin borders the Smith, Rogue and Umpqua River watersheds to the northwest, the Mad and Eel River watersheds to the southwest, the Sacramento River watershed to the southeast, and various closed basins of interior Oregon to the northeast.
Hydrologically, the Upper Klamath Basin is considered to be upstream from the former site of Iron Gate Dam, about 190 miles (310 km) from the river's mouth. Most of the Upper Klamath Basin is in Oregon, with some parts extending south into California. Situated between the Cascades and the Oregon high desert and northwest of the Modoc Plateau, it features a semi-arid climate and is characterized by large, flat alluvial valleys separated by long mountain ridges. Elevations range from 4,000 to 4,500 ft (1,200 to 1,400 m) in the valleys to 7,000 to 9,000 ft (2,100 to 2,700 m) in the Cascades. The mountain ridges are forested, while the valleys mostly consist of wetlands or farmland. Although many streams flowing into Upper Klamath Lake derive their flow from snowmelt, its largest sources – the Williamson and Wood Rivers – are predominantly fed by large springs.
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Klamath River
The Klamath River (Karuk: Ishkêesh, Klamath: Koke, Yurok: Hehlkeek 'We-Roy) is a 257-mile (414 km) long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls in the Oregon high desert, it flows west through the Cascade Range and Klamath Mountains before reaching the temperate rainforest of California's North Coast, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath River is the third-largest salmon and steelhead producing river on the west coast of the contiguous United States. The river's watershed – the Klamath Basin – encompasses more than 15,000 square miles (39,000 km2), and is known for its biodiverse forests, large areas of designated wilderness, and freshwater marshes that provide key migratory bird habitat.
Native Americans have used the river as a source of food and trade for thousands of years, and it continues to hold great cultural significance for tribes. Most lands along the upper Klamath were settled by Euro-Americans following exploration by fur trappers in the early to mid-19th century. Violent conflict and displacement of tribes occurred during the California Gold Rush as prospectors pushed into the lower Klamath basin, leading to a bitter fight over establishing reservation lands. In the early 20th century, the federal government drained the upper basin's once extensive lakes and wetlands for agriculture, while private utilities constructed hydroelectric dams along the river. As salmon runs declined in the mid-20th century, tribes pushed for legal recognition of their senior water rights to support Klamath River fisheries, which have led to controversial reductions in irrigation water supply.
In the 21st century, the Klamath River hosts a wide variety of uses, including tribal subsistence fishing and ceremonies, recreational fishing and whitewater boating, and agricultural and domestic water supply. Starting in 1981, much of the Klamath River and its tributaries have been designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were demolished by October 2024, following almost two decades of negotiations between local representatives, tribes, conservation groups and the utility company operating the dams. This enabled salmon migration to the Upper Klamath Basin for the first time in over 100 years, and established new guidelines for Klamath water use to achieve a compromise between agricultural needs and fishery flows.
The official beginning of the Klamath River is at Lake Ewauna, a small natural lake near Klamath Falls, Oregon. The primary inflow of Lake Ewauna is the short Link River, which connects it to Upper Klamath Lake. Upper Klamath, in turn, is fed by the Williamson River (originating in the Winema National Forest) and Wood River (originating in Crater Lake National Park). For the first 18 miles (29 km) below Lake Ewauna, the Klamath River takes a slow meandering course through what was formerly the Klamath Marshes, which were drained for agriculture in the early 20th century. An artificial channel diverts water from the Lost River, which normally flows into Tule Lake, into the Klamath during periods of high runoff.
Below Keno Dam (which controls the level of the upstream Klamath River and Lake Ewauna), the river flows swiftly through the narrow Klamath River Canyon, which cuts through volcanic rock of the southern Cascade Range. Entering Siskiyou County, California, it passes the former sites of four hydroelectric dams operated by PacifiCorp until their demolition in 2024. After passing under Interstate 5, the Klamath receives the Shasta River from the left then flows west into the Siskiyou Mountains (a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains), entering the Klamath National Forest. It receives the Scott River from the left, passing through Seiad Valley and Happy Camp. Turning south, it flows towards Somes Bar, where it receives the Salmon River from the left as it enters Humboldt County and the Six Rivers National Forest. After passing Orleans, the Klamath reaches Weitchpec, where it receives the Trinity River, its largest tributary, from the left. State Route 96 follows the Klamath River for 137 miles (220 km) from Hornbrook to Weitchpec.
Downstream of the Trinity River, the Klamath turns sharply northwest. The entire 44-mile (71 km) lower section of the river flows through coast redwood forests in the Yurok Indian Reservation. State Route 169 follows most of this section of the river, except for an unconstructed segment between river miles 8–23 (13–37 km) which is only accessible by boat. The river enters Del Norte County, where Highway 101 bridges it at the town of Klamath. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at a tidal estuary near Requa, in an area shared by the Yurok Reservation and Redwood National and State Parks, about 16 miles (26 km) south of Crescent City.
The Klamath River watershed, known as the Klamath Basin, drains parts of Klamath, Lake and Jackson Counties in Oregon and Siskiyou, Modoc, Trinity, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in California. About 37 percent of the basin is in Oregon and 63 percent is in California. More than half of the Klamath Basin is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, on the Fremont, Winema, and Rogue River National Forests in Oregon and the Modoc, Klamath, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests in California. The Klamath Basin borders the Smith, Rogue and Umpqua River watersheds to the northwest, the Mad and Eel River watersheds to the southwest, the Sacramento River watershed to the southeast, and various closed basins of interior Oregon to the northeast.
Hydrologically, the Upper Klamath Basin is considered to be upstream from the former site of Iron Gate Dam, about 190 miles (310 km) from the river's mouth. Most of the Upper Klamath Basin is in Oregon, with some parts extending south into California. Situated between the Cascades and the Oregon high desert and northwest of the Modoc Plateau, it features a semi-arid climate and is characterized by large, flat alluvial valleys separated by long mountain ridges. Elevations range from 4,000 to 4,500 ft (1,200 to 1,400 m) in the valleys to 7,000 to 9,000 ft (2,100 to 2,700 m) in the Cascades. The mountain ridges are forested, while the valleys mostly consist of wetlands or farmland. Although many streams flowing into Upper Klamath Lake derive their flow from snowmelt, its largest sources – the Williamson and Wood Rivers – are predominantly fed by large springs.
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