The Sauk River is a tributary of the

Skagit River The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington (state), Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7&nbs ...

, approximately long, in northwestern

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in the United States. It drains an area of the high

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

in the watershed of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

north of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. The river is a popular destination for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

. It is a

National Wild and Scenic River The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-f ...

. Its two forks rise in the Cascades in eastern

Snohomish County Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most popul ...

, in the

Glacier Peak Wilderness Glacier Peak Wilderness is a , , wilderness area located within portions of Chelan County, Washington, Chelan, Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish, and Skagit County, Washington, Skagit counties in the North Cascades of Washington (state), ...

and join to form the mainstem Sauk River at Bedal Peak. From there the river flows northwest from there through a remote section of the

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

to Darrington, then north to join the Skagit River from the south at Rockport. The Sauk River receives the Suiattle River from the east approximately south of Rockport and the White Chuck River just above Darrington. Another important tributary is Clear Creek, which joins the Sauk just above Darrington. At Darrington the Sauk River comes so close to the head of the North Fork

Stillaguamish River The Stillaguamish River is a river in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Washington. It is mainly composed of two forks, the longer North Fork Stillaguamish () and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The two forks join near Arlington. Fro ...

that boats used to portage across the divide. The name "Sauk" comes from the ''Sah-kee-ma-hu'' (

Sauk-Suiattle The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe (; Commonly known as the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe) is a federally-recognized tribe of Sauk people located in western Washington state. The tribe historically lived along the banks of the Sauk, Suiattle, Cascade, Stil ...

tribe), a group related to the Skagit tribes, not from the Sauk tribe of the Midwestern U.S.

South Fork

The South Fork Sauk River's headwaters flow from a glacier on the northwest side of Columbia Peak. The river flows generally northwest through Seventysix Gulch to Monte Cristo, where it is joined by Glacier Creek. The South Fork continues to flow northwest until it is joined by Weden Creek, where it turns north. It flows just east of Barlow Pass, after which it is paralleled by the Mountain Loop Highway. After several miles the river enters Monte Cristo Lake. A number of camping sites are located along the South Fork Sauk River north of Monte Cristo Lake. Near Bedal Campground the South Fork converges with the North Fork to form the mainstem Sauk River. A remarkably short and low divide, Barlow Pass, separates the South Fork Sauk River from Palmer Creek, a headwater tributary of the South Fork

. The unusual geography, orientation, and size of these rivers and their valleys suggests that during the Pleistocene era the Sauk River flowed west through Barlow Pass into what it now the Stillaguamish valley.

Tributaries

* Glacier Creek: Joins the South Fork at Monte Cristo. * Weden Creek: Joins about downstream from Monte Cristo. * Elliot Creek: Joins just downstream from the outlet of Monte Cristo Lake.

North Fork

The North Fork, the larger of the two forks, starts at the outlet of a small, unnamed lake opposite to Blue Lake near Johnson Mountain. It flows generally northwest for most of its length. Near its confluence with the South Fork it then turns west and rushes through a gorge in which it drops over the North Fork Falls, a powerful plunge at least high. Shortly below it also drops over smaller Lower North Fork Falls. The North Fork converges with the South Fork near Bedal Campground, forming the mainstem Sauk River. According to

Fred Beckey Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of some of the tallest peaks and ...

the source of the North Fork could be equally considered to be its tributary Cadet Creek, which joins the North Fork via Sloan Creek.

Tributaries

* Sloan Creek: Joins the North Fork about above Lost Creek. ** Cadet Creek: Flows from the northeast side of Monte Cristo Peak. * Cougar Creek: Flows from Cougar Lake on the east side of Bedal Peak. * Lost Creek: Joins about above the North Fork's mouth.

History

In 1890 prospectors exploring north from the

Skykomish River The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County, Washington, K ...

basin made discoveries leading to the mining boom at Monte Cristo near the source of the North Fork Sauk River. The difficulty of access from the south led to the 1891 construction of a narrow wagon road along the Sauk River. The Sauk wagon road ran from Sauk City on the

to the mines at Monte Cristo. A key stop on this road was the trading post at Orient, at the forks of the Sauk River. Today this area is known as Bedal. Today the

Mountain Loop Highway The Mountain Loop Highway is a scenic byway in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. It traverses the western section of the Cascade Range within Snohomish County, Washington, Snohomish County. The name suggests it forms a full ...

follows part of the Sauk River more or less along the route of the old wagon road.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Washington (state) North Cascades of Washington (state) Rivers of Skagit County, Washington Rivers of Snohomish County, Washington Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States

South Fork

Tributaries

North Fork

Tributaries

History

See also

References