Nooksack River | |
North Fork Nooksack River | |
The silty North Fork Nooksack River from the Mosquito Lake Road Bridge.
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Country | United States |
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State | Washington |
Counties | Whatcom |
Tributaries | |
- left | Wells Creek, Glacier Creek, Middle Fork Nooksack River, South Fork Nooksack River |
- right | Canyon Creek |
Cities | Ferndale, Marietta |
Source | Cascade Range |
- location | Mount Baker Wilderness |
- elevation | 3,620 ft (1,103 m) |
- coordinates | 48°50′0″N 121°33′18″W / 48.83333°N 121.55500°W |
Mouth | Bellingham Bay |
- elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
- coordinates | 48°46′29″N 122°35′57″W / 48.77472°N 122.59917°WCoordinates: 48°46′29″N 122°35′57″W / 48.77472°N 122.59917°W |
Length | 75 mi (121 km) |
Basin | 786 sq mi (2,036 km2) |
Discharge | for Ferndale |
- average | 3,814 cu ft/s (108 m3/s) |
- max | 48,200 cu ft/s (1,365 m3/s) |
- min | 466 cu ft/s (13 m3/s) |
Nooksack Basin
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The Nooksack River is a river in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It drains an area of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker, near the Canada–US border. The lower river flows through a fertile agricultural area before emptying into Bellingham Bay and, via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia, the Pacific Ocean. The river begins in three main forks, the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork. The North Fork is sometimes considered the main river. Including the North Fork, the Nooksack is approximately 75 miles (121 km) long. All three forks originate in the Mount Baker Wilderness.
The North Fork Nooksack River rises at the Nooksack Cirque in central Whatcom County, north of Mount Shuksan in the western part of North Cascades National Park. Gathering melt water off of East Nooksack Glacier, it flows generally west, passing north of Mount Baker. For most of its course the North Fork is paralleled by State Route 542 (also called the Mount Baker Highway).
Flowing west from the Nooksack Cirque, the river picks up large creeks such as Price Creek, a short creek draining Price Lake, as well as Ruth Creek, before flowing under the uppermost highway bridge.
At Nooksack Falls the river flows through a narrow valley and drops freely 88 feet (27 m) into a deep rocky river canyon. The falls are viewable from the forested cover near the cliff edge. A small parking lot nearby contains a kiosk with information about the falls and a hydroelectric project.