| South Fork McKenzie River | |
|---|---|
 South Fork McKenzie River | |
  Location of the mouth of the South Fork McKenzie River in Oregon | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Lane |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | near Mink Lake |
| • location | Three Sisters Wilderness, Cascade Range |
| • coordinates | 43°56′36″N 121°55′32″W / 43.94333°N 121.92556°W[1] |
| • elevation | 4,559 ft (1,390 m)[2] |
| Mouth | McKenzie River |
• location | near Blue River |
• coordinates | 44°09′32″N 122°17′44″W / 44.15889°N 122.29556°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,093 ft (333 m)[1] |
| Length | 31 mi (50 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 213 sq mi (550 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | 0.6 miles (1 km) downstream of Cougar Dam and 3.9 miles (6.3 km) from the mouth[5] |
| • average | 853 cu ft/s (24.2 m3/s)[5] |
| • minimum | 17 cu ft/s (0.48 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 17,600 cu ft/s (500 m3/s) |
The South Fork McKenzie River is a tributary, about 31 miles (50 km) long, of the McKenzie River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at about 4,500 feet (1,400 m) above sea level near Mink Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness of the Cascade Range. Flowing northwest within Lane County, it meets the McKenzie River about 60 miles (97 km) from the larger river's confluence with the Willamette River.[3][6]
About 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the South Fork mouth,[5] Cougar Dam impounds water from the river to create Cougar Reservoir. It is a multipurpose United States Army Corps of Engineers project built in 1963 to generate hydroelectricity and limit flooding.[7]
The watershed offers many opportunities for recreation, including fishing, swimming, hiking, and camping. Motorized boating is allowed on Cougar Reservoir, which is used for waterskiing. A popular hot springs is along a tributary near the reservoir. Whitewater enthusiasts sometimes run a difficult stretch of the upper river.
- ^ a b c "South Fork McKenzie River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
- ^ a b United States Geological Survey (USGS). "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved December 23, 2012. Map quadrangles show river mileage for the first 25 miles (40 km) of the South Fork. The remaining distance is an estimate based on map scale and ruler. The relevant quadrangles are, from mouth to source, Blue River, McKenzie Bridge, Cougar Reservoir, Grasshopper Mountain, Chucksney Mountain, and Packsaddle Mountain.
- ^ "Willamette Basin TMDL: McKenzie Subbasin" (PDF). Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. p. 6. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Water-Data Report 2011: 14159500 South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow, OR" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ United States Geological Survey (USGS). "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved December 23, 2012. Map quadrangles show river mileage for the entire length of the McKenzie River.
- ^ Johnson, Daniel M.; Petersen, Richard R.; Lycan, D. Richard; Sweet, James W.; Neuhaus, Mark E., and Schaedel, Andrew L. (1985). Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-87071-343-4.
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