North Fork Owyhee River

North Fork Owyhee River
North Fork Owyhee River is located in Oregon
North Fork Owyhee River
Location of the mouth of the North Fork Owyhee River in Oregon
North Fork Owyhee River is located in the United States
North Fork Owyhee River
North Fork Owyhee River (the United States)
EtymologyAn early name for Hawaii.[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon, Idaho
CountyMalheur County, Oregon, Owyhee County, Idaho
Physical characteristics
SourceOwyhee Mountains
 • locationnear Indian Meadows, Idaho
 • coordinates42°40′59″N 116°47′25″W / 42.68306°N 116.79028°W / 42.68306; -116.79028[1]
 • elevation6,685 ft (2,038 m)[3]
MouthOwyhee River
 • location
Three Forks, Oregon
 • coordinates
42°32′39″N 117°10′10″W / 42.54417°N 117.16944°W / 42.54417; -117.16944[1]
 • elevation
3,953 ft (1,205 m)[1]
Length30.4 mi (48.9 km)[4][5]
TypeWild, Recreational
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

The North Fork Owyhee River is a tributary, about 30 miles (48 km) long, of the Owyhee River in Malheur County, Oregon, and Owyhee County, Idaho, in the United States. It begins on the east flank of the Owyhee Mountains in Idaho and flows generally southwest to meet the main stem at Three Forks, Oregon, 161 miles (259 km) above the confluence of the larger river with the Snake River.[6]

Named tributaries of the North Fork, from source to mouth, include Noon Creek, which enters from the right; Pleasant Valley Creek, left; and Juniper Creek, right, all on the Idaho side of the border. Further downstream on the Oregon side, Squaw Creek enters from the left, Cherry Creek from the right, and the Middle Fork Owyhee River from the left before the North Fork meets the main stem at Three Forks.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "North Fork Owyhee River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey (USGS). June 21, 1979. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 735. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Idaho portion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oregon portion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 20, 2015 – via ACME Mapper.