Whychus Creek is a tributary of the

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: * Deschutes River (Oregon) **Little Deschutes River (Oregon) The Little Deschutes River is a tributary of the Deschutes River (Oregon), Deschutes River in the central part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is about lon ...

in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formerly named ''Squaw Creek'', considered derogatory in the 21st century, it was renamed in 2006. Explorer

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

camped along the stream in 1843 but did not identify it by name. Robert S. Williamson, a surveyor who camped there in 1855, said its Indian (Native American) name was ''Why-chus''.

Course

Whychus Creek begins about above sea level at the base of Bend Glacier on

Broken Top Broken Top is a glacially eroded complex volcano, complex stratovolcano. It lies in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the extensive Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southeast of the Three Sisters (Oregon), Three Sisters peaks, ...

in the

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

. Flowing generally north through the Three Sisters Wilderness, the stream plunges over Upper Chush Falls before receiving Park Creek from the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

and plunging over Chush Falls. Downstream of the waterfalls, the creek receives South Fork and North Fork from the left and Snow Creek from the right. Turning northeast, the creek intersects Whychus Creek Canal, which diverts water to McKenzie Canyon Reservoir and other parts of the Three Sisters Irrigation District. Flowing by the southeast side of the city of Sisters, Whychus Creek passes under U.S. Route 20 and Oregon Route 126, which overlap in this vicinity, before receiving Indian Ford Creek from the left. Continuing northeast, the creek leaves Deschutes County and enters Jefferson County and the Crooked River National Grassland. The creek empties into the Deschutes River downstream of the city of Redmond and about from the larger stream's confluence with the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. The map quadrangles include river mile (RM) markers along the Deschutes River.

References

External links

*
Photos
of the creek by Ian Sane
Real-time flow data, Whychus Creek
– United States Bureau of Reclamation
Whychus Creek Restoration
– Oregon Public Broadcasting news story and '' Oregon Field Guide'' video {{authority control Rivers of Deschutes County, Oregon Rivers of Jefferson County, Oregon Sisters, Oregon Rivers of Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States

Course

See also

References

External links