Boise River
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| Boise River | |
| River | |
 Tubers floating the Boise River
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| Country |  United States |
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| State | Idaho |
| Source | Sawtooth Range |
| - coordinates | 43°42′48″N 115°38′9″W / 43.71333°N 115.63583°W [1] |
| Mouth | Snake River |
| - coordinates | 43°49′15″N 117°1′34″W / 43.82083°N 117.02611°W [1] |
| Length | 75 mi (121 km) |
| Basin | 4,100 sq mi (10,619 km2) |
  Location of the mouth of the Boise River in Idaho
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The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 75 miles (121 km) long, in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain. The watershed encompasses approximately 4,100 square miles (11,000 km2) of highly diverse habitats, including alpine canyons, forest, rangeland, agricultural lands, and urban areas.
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[edit] Description
The Boise River rises in three separate forks in the Sawtooth Range at elevations exceeding 10,000 feet (3048 m), and is formed by the confluence of its North and Middle forks. The North Fork, 50 miles (80 km) long, rises in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area, along the Boise-Elmore county line, 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Boise. It flows generally southeast through the remote mountains in the Boise National Forest. The Middle Fork, approximately 70 miles (110 km) in length rises, within 20 miles (32 km) of the North Fork in the southern Sawtooth Wilderness Area in northeastern Elmore County. It flows WSW near the town of Atlanta, joining the North Fork to form the Boise River, approximately 15 miles (25 km) southeast of Idaho City. The main stream flows southwest into Arrowrock Reservoir joining the South Fork from the Anderson Ranch Dam.
The South Fork (100 miles, 160 km) rises in northern Camas County in the Smoky Mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest north of Fairfield, 60 miles (100 km) east of Boise. It flows generally southwest, descending through a basalt canyon to fill the Anderson Ranch Reservoir, then turns northwest in central Elmore County. It joins the main stream as the southern arm of Arrowrock Reservoir, 20 miles (32 km) east of Boise.
Downstream from its confluence with the South Fork, the river flows generally west, and adds the major tributary of Mores Creek along Highway 21, and passes through Lucky Peak Reservoir to emerge from the foothills, southeast of Boise. It passes over several irrigation diversion dams above the city, the first and largest is the century-old Boise River Diversion Dam for the concrete New York Canal, which terminates at Lake Lowell (a.k.a. Deer Flat Reservoir) southwest of Nampa in Canyon County.[2] As the river passes through downtown Boise, it is lined by an extensive recreational greenbelt. The Boise River then flows west across the western end of the Snake River Plain, it becomes a braided stream with a wide floodplain as it crosses northern Canyon County to the Snake River. It enters the Snake River, the Idaho-Oregon border, west of Parma and three miles (5 km) south of Nyssa, Oregon.
[edit] History
The river was called "Reed's River" in the early 19th century, explored during 1811 Astorian Expedition. The river is used for irrigation on the plain west of Boise. The dams that form the mountain reservoirs were constructed as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's "Boise Project" to provide agricultural irrigation, hydroelectricity, drinking water, and flood control to Boise and the Treasure Valley. [3]
The major projects' initial completion dates were:
- 1909 - Boise River Diversion Dam & New York Canal
- 1915 - Arrowrock Dam
- 1950 - Anderson Ranch Dam - (S. Fork)
- 1955 - Lucky Peak Dam - (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
[edit] Recreation
The river is a popular destination for floating, specifically on the urban tree-lined run through Boise during hot, dry summer afternoons. Tubers and floaters launch at Barber Park and land at Ann Morrison Park, between major irrigation diversion dams. Several minor diversion weirs are passed as well as several bridges on the 5 mile (8 km) trip. Water skiing is popular above the dam at the Lucky Peak Reservoir.
On the lower (warmwater) course of the river, low summer flows and poorer water quality from agricultural runoff limit fishery production. This section of river supports a fair fishery for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish. Upstream from Star, the river is a coldwater stream and supports a greater variety of fish. The most prevalent species on this section is mountain whitefish, as well as hatchery-reared rainbow trout, wild rainbow trout, and fingerling brown trout. Upstream from Lucky Peak and Arrowrock reservoirs, the river and its tributaries contain excellent populations of wild rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, and bull trout. This is especially true immediately downstream from the outflow of Anderson Ranch reservoir, where the South Fork takes on the characteristics of a classic "tailwater" for over five miles from the put-in below the dam to Cow Creek Bridge.
[edit] Fishing
The Boise river is also used for fishing, mostly for rainbow trout and, in the winter, steelhead. Spinfishermen use roostertail spinners and bait such as worms and powerbait while fly fishermen use a variety of nymphs, streamers, and dry flies.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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