Klamath
Klamath is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 41.86°, -122.94°
About Klamath
The Klamath River (Karuk: Ishkêesh, Klamath: Koke, Yurok: Hehlkeek ʼWe-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.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Klamath River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Klamath in Depth
Course
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.
Ecology
During the 19th century, the Upper Klamath Basin's abundance of wetlands and wildlife led explorers to call it a "western Everglades". Despite the great reduction in wetlands over the 20th century, the Upper Klamath Basin still hosts large concentrations of migrating waterfowl, with as much as 80 percent of birds along the Pacific Flyway passing through. The five units of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex provide feeding and resting grounds for 3 to 5 million ducks, geese and other waterfowl each year. The area also hosts the largest wintering bald eagle population in the contiguous US.
Geology
The Upper Klamath Basin, defined by the drainage area of the Klamath River above Iron Gate Dam, is a unique transitional area between the Cascade Range to the west and the Basin and Range Province of the northern Great Basin to the southeast. This region extends from the southern Lower Klamath Lake area into the Lost River and Upper Klamath Lake basins. Crustal stretching and block faulting created a topography with characteristics similar to both regions. Almost the entire basin is a graben region, bearing basin and range characteristics, formed by uplifting and subsidence along several north–south faults.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Klamath River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Klamath: Key Facts
| Length | 423 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 482 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 40,795 km² |
| Source | Upper Klamath Lake |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| Drainage system | Klamath Basin |
| Tributaries | Trinity River, Scott River, Shasta River, Boise Creek, Salmon River, Blue Creek |
Facts from Wikidata Q968640 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Klamath: Quick Answers
- Where is Klamath?
- Klamath is located in United States, at 41.8551° N, 122.9364° W.
- Are there dams on the Klamath?
- No dam on the Klamath is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.