Snoqualmie River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
Counties | King, Snohomish |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Confluence of the Middle and North Forks |
• coordinates | 47°31′15″N 121°46′33″W / 47.52083°N 121.77583°W[1] |
Mouth | Snohomish River |
• coordinates | 47°49′11″N 122°1′45″W / 47.81972°N 122.02917°W |
Length | 45 mi (72 km) |
Discharge | |
• location | USGS gage 12149000 near Carnation[2] |
• average | 3,710 cu ft/s (105 m3/s)[2] |
• minimum | 341 cu ft/s (9.7 m3/s) |
• maximum | 54,500 cu ft/s (1,540 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Raging River, South Fork, Middle Fork |
• right | Tolt River, North Fork |
Official name | Snoqualmie (Middle Fork) |
Type | Wild, Scenic |
Designated | December 19, 2014 |
The Snoqualmie River is a 45-mile (72 km) long river in King County and Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington. The river's three main tributaries are the North, Middle, and South Forks, which drain the west side of the Cascade Mountains near the town of North Bend and join near the town of Snoqualmie just above the Snoqualmie Falls. After the falls the river flows north through rich farmland and the towns of Fall City, Carnation, and Duvall before meeting the Skykomish River to form the Snohomish River near Monroe. The Snohomish River empties into Puget Sound at Everett. Other tributaries of the Snoqualmie River include the Taylor River and the Pratt River, both of which enter the Middle Fork, the Tolt River, which joins at Carnation, and the Raging River at Fall City.
Many of the Snoqualmie River's headwaters originate as snowmelt within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. On August 8, 2007, U.S. Representative Dave Reichert (WA-08), King County Executive Ron Sims, and others announced a proposal to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to include the valley of the Pratt River, a tributary of the Middle Fork, near the town of North Bend. The proposal would also give the Pratt River National Wild and Scenic River status.[3][4]