Washougal River

Washougal River
Flowing under a bridge
Washougal River is located in Washington (state)
Washougal River
Location of the mouth of Washougal River in Washington
Washougal River is located in the United States
Washougal River
Washougal River (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyClark, Skamania
Physical characteristics
Sourcenear McKinley Ridge and Lookout Mountain
 • locationGifford Pinchot National Forest, Skamania County
 • coordinates45°47′27″N 122°08′55″W / 45.79083°N 122.14861°W / 45.79083; -122.14861[1]
 • elevation2,761 ft (842 m)[2]
MouthColumbia River
 • location
Washougal and Camas, Clark County
 • coordinates
45°34′43″N 122°24′00″W / 45.57861°N 122.40000°W / 45.57861; -122.40000[1]
 • elevation
10 ft (3.0 m)[1]
Length33 mi (53 km)[3]
Basin size212 sq mi (550 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • average873 cu ft/s (24.7 m3/s)[4]
 • maximum40,400 cu ft/s (1,140 m3/s)

The Washougal River is a 33-mile (53 km) tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington.[3] Its headwaters and upper 21 miles (34 km) are in Skamania County in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and its lower 12 miles (19 km) are in Clark County. The river, which flows through the city of Washougal and meets the Columbia at the City of Camas, is a popular stream for fishing, swimming, and boating.[3]

Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark referred to the Washougal River as the "Seal River." The name Washougal comes from the Cascades Chinook placename [wasiixwal] or [wasuxal],[5] meaning "rushing water".[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Washougal River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. September 10, 1979. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ a b c d "Washougal River Watershed" (PDF). Clark County. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  4. ^ Byrne, Jim; et al. (May 17, 2002). "Washougal Subbasin Summary (Draft)" (PDF). Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority. p. 1. Retrieved January 22, 2013. The maximum discharge was recorded during the flood of December 1977.
  5. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 550. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  6. ^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.