| South Fork John Day River | |
|---|---|
 South Fork John Day River at Dayville | |
  Location of the mouth of the South Fork John Day River in Oregon | |
| Etymology | John Day, fur trapper |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Counties | Harney and Grant |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | near Alsup Mountain, Malheur National Forest, Harney County, Oregon |
| • coordinates | 43°55′09″N 119°19′17″W / 43.91917°N 119.32139°W[1] |
| • elevation | 5,396 ft (1,645 m)[2] |
| Mouth | John Day River |
• location | Dayville, Grant County, Oregon |
• coordinates | 44°28′26″N 119°32′10″W / 44.47389°N 119.53611°W[1] |
• elevation | 2,326 ft (709 m)[1] |
| Length | 60 mi (97 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 606 sq mi (1,570 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Dayville, Oregon, near mouth[5] |
| • average | 179 cu ft/s (5.1 m3/s)[5] |
| Type | Recreational |
| Designated | October 28, 1988 |
The South Fork John Day River is a 60-mile (97 km) tributary of the John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Malheur National Forest in Harney County about 25 miles (40 km) north-northwest of Burns and flows generally north to Dayville, where it meets the main stem of the John Day River. Along the way, the stream passes through the abandoned town of Izee. The Black Canyon Wilderness in the Ochoco National Forest lies within the river's drainage basin.[6]
A total of 47 miles (76 km) of the river, from the Malheur National Forest boundary to Smoky Creek, are classified "recreational" in the National Wild and Scenic River (NWSR) system, created under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, and offer opportunities for hiking, swimming, camping, hunting, and fishing.[7]
- ^ a b c "South Fork John Day River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey (USGS). November 28, 1980. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
- ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
- ^ "Bull Trout Recovery Plan: Columbia River/Klamath (2002), Chapter 9: John Day River" (PDF). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. pp. iv–3. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. pp. 248–49. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
- ^ a b "USGS 14039500 South Fork John Day Near Dayville, OR". United States Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2008. Average discharge rate was calculated by adding average annual discharge rates for the four calendar years, 1952–55, for which data was available from the USGS and dividing by 4.
- ^ Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (1991 ed.). DeLorme Mapping. § 71, 77.
- ^ "South Fork John Day River". U.S. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 2007. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2008.