American River (Naches River)
| American River | ||
 The American River on the Cougar Lake Trail in the William O. Douglas Wilderness |
||
| Data | ||
| location | Yakima County , Washington , USA | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Bumping River → Naches River → Yakima River → Columbia River → Pacific | |
| source |
Cascade chain 46 ° 49 ′ 10 ″ N , 121 ° 27 ′ 36 ″ W. |
|
| Source height | 1597 m | |
| muzzle | Bumping River Coordinates: 46 ° 58 ′ 31 ″ N , 121 ° 9 ′ 24 ″ W 46 ° 58 ′ 31 ″ N , 121 ° 9 ′ 24 ″ W. |
|
| Mouth height | 843 m | |
| Height difference | 754 m | |
| Bottom slope | 24 ‰ | |
| length | 32 km | |
| Discharge at gauge USGS 12488500 |
NNQ MNQ MHQ |
424.7 l / s 7 m³ / s 178 m³ / s |
The American River is a tributary of the Bumping River in Yakima County , Washington state . It flows down the east side of the Cascade Range through the Wenatchee National Forest and the William O. Douglas Wilderness .
From its source in American Lake, it flows north for a few miles and takes its tributary Rainier Fork American River , which flows eastward from around Chinook Pass . Washington State Route 410 traverses Chinook Pass out of Mount Rainier National Park , then follows the valleys of the Rainier Fork and the American River.
After the mouth of the Rainier Fork, the American River flows through the Pleasant Valley. It flows into the Bumping River at the American Forks Campground.
The American River is part of the Columbia River Basin; it flows over the Bumping River, Naches River and Yakima River into the Columbia River.
An early name for the American River was Miners Creek. After the historian Gretta Gossett, the river was named "by the hopeful gold diggers" after the American River in California.
See also
- List of rivers in Washington
- Tributaries of the Columbia River (at Wikipedia)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Google Earth altitude calculation for GNIS coordinates.
- ↑ American River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey , USGS , GNIS .
- ^ Water-Data Report 2008, 12488500 American River near Nile, WA . USGS . Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ↑ American River . In: Washington Place Names database . Tacoma Public Library. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
