Tye River (Washington)

For the Tye River in Virginia, see Tye River.

Tye River
Tye River (Washington) is located in Washington (state)
Tye River (Washington)
Location of the mouth of the Tye River in Washington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyKing
Physical characteristics
SourceCascade Range
 • locationStevens Pass
 • coordinates47°44′28″N 121°5′12″W / 47.74111°N 121.08667°W / 47.74111; -121.08667[1]
MouthSouth Fork Skykomish River
 • coordinates
47°42′18″N 121°18′21″W / 47.70500°N 121.30583°W / 47.70500; -121.30583[1]
Length11 mi (18 km)[2]
Basin size81 sq mi (210 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Skykomish[4]
 • average305 cu ft/s (8.6 m3/s)[4]
 • minimum50 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s)
 • maximum1,500 cu ft/s (42 m3/s)

The Tye River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises near Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains and flows west, joining the Foss River to form the South Fork Skykomish River. Its waters eventually empty into Puget Sound near Everett via the Skykomish River and Snohomish River. U.S. Route 2 follows the river's entire length. A BNSF Railway line follows most of the river except near the pass where the tracks use the Cascade Tunnel. Powerlines run by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) follow the Tye River west of Tunnel Creek.

Most of the Tye River drainage basin is within Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

The Tye River is considered the continuation of the South Fork Skykomish River above the Foss River confluence.[3] However, the true source of the South Fork Skykomish, in terms of streamflow is not the Tye River but the Rapid River, a tributary of the Beckler River, which in turn is a tributary of the South Fork Skykomish.[5]

The Tye River is named for W.H. Tye (or William Francis Tye), a surveyor for the Great Northern Railway who laid out the rail grade to Stevens Pass.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tye River
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference snotye was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference snofull was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Historical data, water years 1929–1931 and 1946, for USGS gage 12129000, Tye River near Skykomish, WA". USGS. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  5. ^ Beckey, Fred (2003). Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers. p. 23. ISBN 0-89886-423-2.
  6. ^ Tacoma Public Library Archived 23 July 2012 at archive.today, Washington Place Names
  7. ^ TYE, William Francis, Biographical Dictionary of Canadian Engineers