Willow Creek is a tributary, about 26 miles (42 km) long, of the Deschutes River in central Oregon in the United States.[3] Arising near Foley Butte in the western Ochoco Mountains in Crook County, it flows generally northwest into Jefferson County and through the Crooked River National Grassland. The creek continues through the city of Madras and becomes the dividing line between two plateaus, Agency Plains and Little Agency Plains. It then enters the Deschutes above Pelton Dam and its impoundment, Lake Simtustus, about 105 miles (169 km) from the river's confluence with the Columbia River.[4]
| Willow Creek | |
|---|---|
  Location of the mouth of Willow Creek in Oregon | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Counties | Crook, Jefferson |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Ochoco Mountains |
| • location | Ochoco National Forest, Crook County |
| • coordinates | 44°30′28″N 120°48′29″W / 44.50778°N 120.80806°W[1] |
| • elevation | 4,415 ft (1,346 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Deschutes River |
• location | Lake Simtustus, Jefferson County |
• coordinates | 44°40′18″N 121°13′41″W / 44.67167°N 121.22806°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,591 ft (485 m)[1] |
| Length | 26 mi (42 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 181 sq mi (470 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • minimum | 1 cu ft/s (0.028 m3/s) |
Named tributaries from source to mouth are Higgins, Coon, Newbill, and McMeen creeks followed by Dry Canyon.[4] The creek and its tributaries support populations of redband trout, largescale sucker, bridgelip sucker, and longnose dace.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Willow Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
- ^ a b c d The Wetlands Conservancy; Vigil-Agrimis; Anderson, John (2015). "Deschutes Wetland Atlas" (PDF). The Wetlands Conservancy. p. 19.
- ^ a b "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 29, 2016 – via ACME Mapper. The map includes mile markers along the Deschutes River.
External links
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