Deschutes River

Deschutes River
The Deschutes River near its mouth on the Columbia. Pioneers camped on the bluff to the left.
Map of the Deschutes watershed
Location of the mouth of the Deschutes River in Oregon Show map of Oregon Deschutes River (the United States) Show map of the United States
Etymology	From Rivière des Chutes, used by early-19th-century fur traders[2]
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Deschutes, Jefferson, Sherman, and Wasco
Physical characteristics
Source	Little Lava Lake
• location	Cascade Range, Deschutes County, Oregon
• coordinates	43°54′33″N 121°45′40″W / 43.90917°N 121.76111°W / 43.90917; -121.76111[1]
• elevation	4,747 ft (1,447 m)[3]
Mouth	Columbia River
• location	between Fairbanks and Biggs Junction, on border between Wasco and Sherman counties, Oregon
• coordinates	45°38′07″N 120°54′52″W / 45.63528°N 120.91444°W / 45.63528; -120.91444[1]
• elevation	164 ft (50 m)[1]
Length	252 mi (406 km)[4]
Basin size	10,500 sq mi (27,000 km2)[5]
Discharge
• location	Moody, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) from mouth[5][6]
• average	5,824 cu ft/s (164.9 m3/s)[5][6]
• minimum	2,400 cu ft/s (68 m3/s)
• maximum	70,300 cu ft/s (1,990 m3/s)
National Wild and Scenic River
Type	Scenic, Recreational
Designated	October 28, 1988

The Deschutes River (/dəˈʃuːts/ də-SHOOTS) in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, eastern flank of the mountains. The Deschutes provided an important route to and from the Columbia for Native Americans for thousands of years, and then in the 19th century for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The river flows mostly through rugged and arid country, and its valley provides a cultural heart for central Oregon. Today the river supplies water for irrigation and is popular in the summer for whitewater rafting and fishing.

The river flows generally north, as do several other large Oregon tributaries of the Columbia River, including the Willamette and John Day.