Sauk River (Washington)
| Sauk River | |
|---|---|
The Sauk River along SR530, north of Darrington, Washington | |
Sauk River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Skagit, Snohomish |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | North Fork and South Fork confluence |
| • location | Cascade Range |
| • coordinates | 48°5′59″N 121°23′28″W / 48.09972°N 121.39111°W |
| • elevation | 1,204 ft (367 m) |
| Mouth | Skagit River |
• coordinates | 48°28′53″N 121°37′12″W / 48.48139°N 121.62000°W |
• elevation | 217 ft (66 m) |
| Length | 45 mi (72 km) |
| Basin size | 714 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | USGS gage 12189500 near Sauk, WA |
| • average | 4,332 cu ft/s (122.7 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 578 cu ft/s (16.4 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 69,900 cu ft/s (1,980 m3/s) |
| Designated | November 10, 1978 |
The Sauk River is a tributary of the Skagit River, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in northwestern Washington in the United States. It drains an area of the high Cascade Range in the watershed of Puget Sound north of Seattle. The river is a popular destination for fly fishing. It is a National Wild and Scenic River.
Its two forks rise in the Cascades in eastern Snohomish County, in the Glacier Peak Wilderness 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 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 12 miles (19 km) 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 that boats used to portage across the divide.
The name "Sauk" comes from the Sah-kee-ma-hu (Sauk-Suiattle tribe), a group related to the Skagit tribes, not from the Sauk tribe of the Midwestern U.S.