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37-645: There are differences of opinion about the location and boundaries of the subranges of the northern Cascades, although early geologists and topographers had a fundamental agreement on the topic. The Hozomeen Range was seen as bounded by the Skagit River on the west and extending east to the Pasayten River (east of the Sumallo River ) and Coquihalla River . The core of the Hozomeen Range under this definition marks

74-592: A month. The years 1909, 1917, and 1921 are the other annual peak discharges of record for the gauging station at Concrete which is at the confluence of the Baker and Skagit Rivers. November 2017 brought significant flooding to the lower river at Mt. Vernon and Lyman . In 1978, the United States Congress established the Skagit Wild and Scenic River System . The system includes 158.5 miles (255.1 km) of

111-407: A village at the tip of the delta which they called Skagit City . The massive logjam was found about 10 miles (16 km) upstream from the mouth of the river. Attempts to remove it began in 1874 by a team of loggers, who salvaged the logs. After three years of work, a 5-acre (20,000 m ) section of the jam broke free and scattered downriver. Soon thereafter the river became navigable. Mount Vernon

148-507: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Skagit River The Skagit River ( / ˈ s k æ dʒ ɪ t / SKAJ -it ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000 hectares) of

185-610: Is allowed at a number of boat-in and hike-in campsites around the lake. Backcountry camping permits (free, first-come, first-served) are required, and may be obtained from the National Park Service in Marblemount . The lake is also home to a floating resort called the Ross Lake Resort. Made up of a dozen cabins and 3 bunkhouses, it is situated approximately a quarter mile from the dam and rests entirely on log booms. During

222-501: Is formed by the impoundment of the Skagit River by Ross Dam , which is operated by Seattle City Light for hydroelectric power generation serving Seattle, Washington , and surrounding areas. After leaving Ross Lake, the Skagit River flows through two more reservoirs before running to Puget Sound . High peaks surround Ross Lake in all directions, and include Hozomeen Mountain , Ruby Mountain, Desolation Peak , and Jack Mountain ,

259-571: Is made up of high peaks and low valleys. The highest points in the basin are two volcanoes : Mount Baker , elevation 10,781 feet (3,286 m), and Glacier Peak, elevation 10,541 feet (3,213 m). Most of the basin lies above 2,000 feet (610 m). The river completes its course at sea level where it meets the Puget Sound. The river takes its name from the Skagit tribe, a name used by Europeans and Americans for two distinct Native American peoples,

296-460: Is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest . The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a group of three major dams, constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, which are a primary source of hydroelectric power for Seattle and other area communities. The Skagit River Railway was constructed by the city of Seattle to transport workers and construction materials for

333-559: Is returned to the river as it passes Newhalem , a company town for Seattle City Light . Copper and Bacon creeks, both flowing from North Cascades National Park , merge into the Skagit from the right as it meanders slowly through an agricultural valley, past Marblemount , where the Cascade River joins from the left, and Rockport , where it receives its major tributary, the Sauk River , from

370-501: Is that the upper Skagit once drained northward into Canada and the growth and retreat of successive Cordilleran ice flows brought about the reversal. Each advance blocked the river, forcing it to find new routes to the south, in the process carving deep gorges. Eventually, the Skagit gorge was so deep that even after the Cordilleran ice retreated for good, the river continued flowing south instead of north into Canada. The Skagit watershed

407-551: The Cascade Range along the northern end of Puget Sound and flows into the sound. The Skagit watershed is characterized by a temperate, mid-latitude, maritime climate. Temperatures range widely throughout the watershed. Recorded temperatures at Newhalem range from a low of −6 °F (−21 °C) to a high of 109 °F (43 °C), with greater extremes likely in the mountains. The highest temperatures are commonly recorded in July;

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444-536: The Interior of British Columbia , Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a location in the state of Washington is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a mountain, mountain range, or peak in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a mountain, mountain range, or peak in Canada

481-639: The Lushootseed language, a branch of the Salishan family. The Upper Skagit tribe occupied the land along the Skagit from what is now Newhalem to the mouth of the river at Puget Sound. The Lower Skagit tribe lived on northern Whidbey Island and have come to be known also as the Whidbey Island Skagit. Archaeological evidence reveals that these peoples collected their food from the natural resources, through fishing, hunting, and gathering. The upper Skagit area

518-536: The Upper Skagit and Lower Skagit . Native people have lived along the Skagit for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence indicates that ancestors of the Upper Skagit tribe lived in the area now called Ross Lake National Recreation Area at least 8,000 years ago. They quarried chert from Hozomeen Mountain to make blades, which were used across a wide trading area. Both tribes traditionally spoke dialects of

555-405: The salmon run is plentiful, as many as 600 to 800 eagles are attracted to the river. Thousands of snow geese winter in the Skagit River estuary . These geese feed on intertidal marsh plants such as bulrush and they are drawn to nearby farmlands where they find leftover potatoes in the fields. Trumpeter swans are drawn to the estuary habitat as well. There can be several hundred swans in

592-555: The 1860s, they have had a reserve there.) Custer documented this encounter and the accuracy of the chief's map in his Report of Henry Custer, Assistant of Reconnaissances, Made in 1859 over the routes in the Cascades Mountains in the vicinity of the 49th parallel , now in the collection of the National Park Service . Settlement along the river by European Americans in the late 1800s was inhibited by two ancient logjams that blocked navigation upriver. The settlers first established

629-501: The Skagit and its tributaries — the Sauk, Suiattle, and Cascade rivers. This Wild and Scenic designation is meant to protect and enhance the values that caused it to be listed: The Skagit Wild and Scenic River System flows through both public and private lands. Fifty percent of the system is in private ownership, 44 percent is National Forest System land, and 6 percent is owned by the state and other agencies. The Skagit Wild and Scenic River

666-460: The Skagit valley from October to February. Historically, the Skagit tidal estuary had beaver dams in the myrtle zone. These were overtopped at high tide, but at low tide their ponds nurtured juvenile salmon. The Skagit River basin provides habitat for a diverse set of animals. For more information about these animals, see List of Wildlife of the Skagit River Basin . The Skagit River

703-542: The dam. Ross Lake is a major recreation destination within the North Cascades, attracting visitors with a multitude of fishing , canoeing , kayaking , and hiking opportunities. The trout fishing, in particular, is well-renowned. Ross Dam, as well as Gorge and Diablo dams downstream, are barriers preventing salmon from travelling between Ross Lake and the Pacific Ocean; thus, Ross Lake has no anadromous fish. Camping

740-629: The dams. The river today is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and fly fishing . Tributaries in Canada Tributaries in the US Ross Lake (Washington) Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States , and southwestern British Columbia , Canada . The lake runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and

777-719: The divide between streams in British Columbia that flow west to the Fraser River and those that flow via longer routes via the Nicola River , Thompson River , and Similkameen River tributaries into the Fraser or Okanagan River . This early nomenclature defined the Hozomeen Range as extending south of the US border and including the peaks of the Hozomeen Mountain area. BCGNIS defines

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814-545: The full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level (489 m). The U.S. portion of Ross Lake is in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area . North Cascades National Park is adjacent to the west and south, while the Pasayten Wilderness is east of the lake. In British Columbia the lake is a part of Skagit Valley Provincial Park , and Manning Provincial Park is nearby to the east. Ross Lake

851-429: The future North Fork Stillaguamish River until eruptions of Glacier Peak choked the rivers with debris, causing the formation of an alluvial fan near present-day Darrington, Washington . The debris forced the two rivers north to join the Skagit. Above Newhalem, Washington, the Skagit flows through a deep gorge, contrasting strongly with the glacial valley below Newhalem. One of the several theories about this anomaly

888-451: The largest wintering bald eagle populations in the contiguous United States. The eagles feed on Chum and Coho salmon that have returned to spawn in the Skagit and its tributaries. The eagles arrive in late October or early November and stay into February. The highest number of eagles is usually seen in January. These eagles come from inland Canada and as far away as Alaska and Montana . When

925-580: The left. After receiving the Sauk River, the Skagit turns west, flowing past Concrete and receiving the Baker River , its second-largest tributary, from the right. The river continues to flow west, past Sedro-Woolley , Burlington and then Mount Vernon . It is crossed by Interstate 5 , a major national highway, between Burlington and Mount Vernon; the four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed in May 2013 and

962-484: The left. Spilling out of the dam the river enters Diablo Lake, formed by Diablo Dam , and receives Thunder and Colonial creeks from the left, before it enters the third and final reservoir, Gorge Lake, formed by Gorge Dam . All three dams are part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project . Past Gorge Dam, the river is often dry, as its waters have been diverted to generate hydroelectricity . Water

999-525: The lowest are in January. The Skagit River rises at Allison Pass in the Canadian Cascades of British Columbia . From there it flows northwest along the Crowsnest Highway , which follows the river into Manning Provincial Park . It turns abruptly south, where it receives Snass Creek from the right, then enters Skagit Valley Provincial Park at the point where it receives the Sumallo River from

1036-804: The range as extending south from the Coquihalla River and west of the Tulameen River and Pasayten River , and bounded to the west by the Skagit Range . Peakbagger.com defines the Hozameen Range as bounded on the west by the Skagit River, the Coquihalla River to the northwest, the Tulameen River to the northeast, and the Similkameen River to the east. This article about a location in

1073-522: The right. It receives the Klesilkwa River from the right, and turns southeast to flow into Ross Lake , where it crosses the Canada–United States border and into Washington state. Ross Lake is formed by Ross Dam and is approximately 24 miles (39 km) long, winding south through Ross Lake National Recreation Area . Here the river receives Beaver Creek from the right and Ruby Creek from

1110-410: The summit of which is over 7,000 feet above the elevation of the lake. Rivers and creeks flowing into Ross Lake include the upper Skagit River , Hozomeen Creek, Silver Creek, Little Beaver Creek, Arctic Creek, Lightning Creek, Devils Creek, Big Beaver Creek, and Ruby Creek. Most of these creeks originate from glaciers and snowfields high in the North Cascades. Ross Dam, originally called Ruby Dam,

1147-485: The time. Custer later talked about the area with an elder Samona chief named Chinsoloc who had lived there at one time; he drew a detailed map from memory, which the topographer found to be accurate. (Note: It is unclear what tribe this refers to; there is no local tribe called Samona. The Skeetchestn Indian Band , of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation, were located in the area of present-day Savona, British Columbia . Since

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1184-530: The winter, when lake levels shrink, the resort detaches from its shore moorings and relocates to the center of the lake. This is due to lower water levels caused by annual drawdowns of the lake for flood control of the Skagit River. A road from the Canadian side of the lake ends just inside the US. Travelers do not have to report to an official Port of Entry (as required at the nearby Pacific Crest Trail crossing), as they must reenter Canada to leave. Ross Lake has

1221-584: Was built in three stages between 1937 and 1949, and currently stands 540 feet (160 m) tall. A fourth stage of construction was planned for the dam ; however, in 1984 Seattle City Light made an electricity-purchasing agreement with British Columbia which delayed any further expansion of the Ross Lake Dam for 80 years. The lake and dam are named after James D. Ross , the superintendent of the Seattle City Light's Skagit River Hydroelectric Project , which built

1258-570: Was first described in writing in 1859 by Henry Custer , the American topographer for the US Boundary Commission. With two other American government men and ten locals from the Nooksack and Chilliwack bands, he canoed and portaged from the Canada–United States border down to Ruby Creek, a tributary of the upper Skagit River. The party found no native people inhabiting the Upper Skagit area at

1295-403: Was founded at the approximate site of this logjam. In November 1897, the Skagit River flooded severely; in the aftermath as the floodwaters receded, two new logjams formed and blocked navigation. The largest was near the mouth, and filled the river from bank to bank for about 800 yards (730 m). Using a recently built logjam removal boat named Skagit , teams finally cleared this jam in about

1332-563: Was highly influenced by the repeated advance and retreat of the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet . Ice and gravel moraines repeatedly blocked the Skagit, causing it to pool into lakes and forcing it to drain south into the future North Fork Stillaguamish River . After the ice retreated the Skagit breached the moraine dam near Concrete, Washington, finding its present course. The Sauk River and Suiattle River continued to drain into

1369-659: Was reopened a month later. At the former site of Skagit City , the Skagit River diverges into two forks, a north and south fork. Fir Island lies between the forks in the 90,000-acre (36,000 ha) floodplain. These two forks both empty into Skagit Bay , a branch of Puget Sound . The Skagit provides spawning habitat for salmon . It is the only large river system in Washington that contains healthy populations of all five native salmon species – chinook , coho , chum , pink , and sockeye – and two species of trout : steelhead and coastal cutthroat . The river supports one of

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