Pysht River

Pysht River
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Clallam
Source	Olympic Mountains
- elevation	1,350 ft (411 m)
- coordinates	48°9′49″N 124°16′13″W / 48.16361°N 124.27028°W / 48.16361; -124.27028
Mouth	Strait of Juan de Fuca
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	48°12′15″N 124°6′16″W / 48.20417°N 124.10444°W / 48.20417; -124.10444Coordinates: 48°12′15″N 124°6′16″W / 48.20417°N 124.10444°W / 48.20417; -124.10444
Length	16.3 mi (26.2 km)
Basin	54 sq mi (140 km2)
Discharge	for river mile 4.9
- average	167.2 cu ft/s (4.73 m3/s)
- max	1,990 cu ft/s (56.35 m3/s)
- min	2.3 cu ft/s (0.07 m3/s)
Location of the mouth of the Pysht River in Washington

The Pysht River (/ˈpɪʃt/ PISHT) is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates near Ellis Mountain in the northern Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula and flows generally north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Pysht and nearby Hoko River are the two largest streams flowing into the southwestern portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The watershed of the Pysht River drains a region of industrial forest lands; 98% of the watershed is zoned commercial forestry and the remainder rural. Nearly all of the forests have been logged at least once and most trees are less than thirty years old. The upper portions of the watershed, which feature steep gradients, are owned by the United States Forest Service. The lower reaches, with low gradients, are largely owned by two industrial forest owners.

The name of the Pysht River comes from the Clallam (Salishan) pəšc't, perhaps meaning "against the wind or current".

The Pysht River originates near Ellis Mountain in the northwestern Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Forest. It flows southeast a short distance before turning northeast and leaving the national forest and the mountainous country to enter more rolling and hilly terrain. It collects the tributaries Needham Creek and Green Creek less than a mile upriver from its confluence with the South Fork Pysht River. The South Fork originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north and west to join the main stem Pysht. Tributaries of the South Fork include the West Fork Pysht River, Middle Creek, and Salmonberry Creek. Downstream from the South Fork confluence the main stem Pysht River flows mainly east and slightly north to the small settlement of Pysht near the coast. The river makes a large bend north, then east, then south, then east before emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Two additional tributaries, Reed Creek and Indian Creek, join in the last reach. The mouth of the Pysht River is just south of a headland called Pillar Point and just north of the Pillar Point Recreation Area and campground. The mouth of the Pysht is a tidally influenced estuary and supports a large complex of forested and tidal emergent wetlands.