| Bogachiel River | |
|---|---|
 Bogachiel River, near Forks, Washington | |
  Location of the mouth of the Bogachiel River in Washington  Bogachiel River (the United States) | |
| Etymology | bo qʷa tcheel el, Quileute for "gets riley after a rain" or "muddy waters".[2] |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| Counties | Clallam, Jefferson |
| City | Forks |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Bogachiel Peak |
| • location | Olympic Range |
| • coordinates | 47°54′19″N 123°46′56″W / 47.90528°N 123.78222°W[1] |
| • elevation | 3,960 ft (1,210 m)[3] |
| Mouth | Quillayute River |
• coordinates | 47°54′50″N 124°23′31″W / 47.91389°N 124.39194°W[1] |
• elevation | 35 ft (11 m)[3] |
| Length | 50 mi (80 km)[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | North Fork Bogachiel River, Calawah River |
The Bogachiel River (/ˈboʊɡəʃiːl/)[5] is a river of the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates near Bogachiel Peak, and flows westward through the mountains of Olympic National Park. After emerging from the park it joins the Sol Duc River, forming the Quillayute River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean near La Push, Washington.
The Quillayute River system, with its main tributaries of the Bogachiel, Sol Duc, Calawah, and Dickey Rivers, drains the largest watershed on the north Olympic Peninsula.
The name "Bogachiel" is a corruption of the Quileute words bo qwa tcheel el, or /boqʷač'íʔl/, from /bó:q'ʷa/, "muddy", and /číʔlowa/, "water", meaning "gets riley [turbid] after a rain", "muddy waters", or, less likely, "big river".[2][6]
The river is often regarded today as a classical instance of a lowland forest ecosystem.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bogachiel River
- ^ a b Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods & goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park. CP Publications. p. 13. ISBN 0-914195-00-X.
- ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.
- ^ Bogachiel River Archived March 10, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
- ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. p. 16. ISBN 0-295-95498-1.
- ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4. Retrieved 11 April 2011.