Elk Creek (Rogue River tributary)

Elk Creek
An aerial view of the notched Elk Creek Dam in July 2010
Elk Creek (Rogue River tributary) is located in Oregon
Elk Creek (Rogue River tributary)
Location of the mouth of Elk Creek in Oregon
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyJackson
Physical characteristics
SourceCascade Range
 • locationRogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, Jackson County, Oregon
 • coordinates42°53′07″N 122°35′34″W / 42.88528°N 122.59278°W / 42.88528; -122.59278[1]
 • elevation4,931 ft (1,503 m)[2]
MouthRogue River
 • location
near Rogue Elk, between Lost Creek Lake and Trail, Jackson County, Oregon
 • coordinates
42°39′44″N 122°45′20″W / 42.66222°N 122.75556°W / 42.66222; -122.75556[1]
 • elevation
1,460 ft (450 m)[1]
Length18 mi (29 km)[3]
Discharge 
 • location1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the mouth[4]
 • average214 cu ft/s (6.1 m3/s)[4]
 • minimum0.01 cu ft/s (0.00028 m3/s)
 • maximum19,200 cu ft/s (540 m3/s)
TypeScenic
DesignatedMarch 12, 2019[5]

Elk Creek is an 18-mile (29 km) tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at 4,931 feet (1,503 m) above sea level in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, it flows generally southwest through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Elk Creek Project lands to Rogue Elk Park in Jackson County. Here the creek enters the Rogue River 5.25 miles (8.45 km) downstream from Lost Creek Lake and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) river miles upstream of the small town of Trail. Elk Creek Dam, an incomplete flood-control structure that blocked fish migration for more than 20 years, was partly demolished in 2008 to restore endangered anadromous fish passage.

  1. ^ a b c "Elk Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) source coordinates.
  3. ^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (1991 ed.). DeLorme Mapping. § 28. ISBN 0-89933-235-8.
  4. ^ a b "Water-Data Report 2007: Elk Creek near Trail, OR" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  5. ^ "Explore Designated Rivers". Rivers.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2022.