Oconaluftee River
| Oconaluftee River Egwanulti | |
|---|---|
View of the Oconaluftee River within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Beech Flats Prong |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tuckasegee River |
• coordinates | 35°58′7″N 83°36′15″W / 35.96861°N 83.60417°W |
| Length | 30 mi (48 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Birdtown |
| • average | 518 cu ft/s (14.7 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Tuckasegee → Little Tennessee → Tennessee → Ohio → Mississippi |
The Oconaluftee River drains the south-central Oconaluftee valley of the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina before emptying into the Tuckasegee River. The river flows through the Qualla Boundary, a federal land trust that serves as a reserve for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina. They bought the land back from the federal government in the 1870s, after having been pushed off and forced to cede it earlier in the 19th century. Several historic Cherokee towns are known to have been located along this river.