Crescent Creek

Crescent Creek
Crescent Creek in Deschutes National Forest
Country United States
State Oregon
County Klamath
Source Crescent Lake
 - location Deschutes National Forest, Cascade Range
 - elevation 4,853 ft (1,479 m) [1]
 - coordinates 43°30′05″N 121°58′25″W / 43.50139°N 121.97361°W / 43.50139; -121.97361 [2]
Mouth Little Deschutes River
 - elevation 4,324 ft (1,318 m) [2]
 - coordinates 43°31′45″N 121°39′06″W / 43.52917°N 121.65167°W / 43.52917; -121.65167Coordinates: 43°31′45″N 121°39′06″W / 43.52917°N 121.65167°W / 43.52917; -121.65167 [2]
Length 30 mi (48 km) [3]
Location of the mouth of Crescent Creek in Oregon

Crescent Creek is a 30-mile (48 km) tributary of the Little Deschutes River in Klamath County in the U.S. state of Oregon.[3] Beginning at Crescent Lake on the eastern flank of the Cascade Range, the river flows generally east through parts of Deschutes National Forest to meet the Little Deschutes between Crescent and La Pine.[4]

A 10-mile (16 km) stretch of Crescent Creek was named part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1988. Designated "recreational", the segment below Crescent Lake flows through a narrow canyon and a forest of old-growth pine.[5] One of Crescent Creek's tributaries, Big Marsh Creek, is also part of the wild rivers system.[6] The upper 12 miles (19 km) of the Little Deschutes is part of the system too.[7]

The creek supports native rainbow trout, non-native brown trout and brook trout, and other species.[8] The healthy and remote riparian zone along the upper creek supports a diversity of grasses, sedges, willows, and many species of birds, mammals, and amphibians.[8]

Crescent Creek Campground, about 9 miles (14 km) west of Crescent, has nine individual camping sites, potable water, and a vault toilet. Open from mid-May through September, it is relatively remote and quiet, with opportunities for bird-watching and fishing.[9]

A stream gauge operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation at the outlet of Crescent Lake shows an average highest discharge of about 140 cubic feet per second (4.0 m3/s) to Crescent Creek in August. The average discharge drops to its lowest, about 10 cubic feet per second (0.28 m3/s), in November.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth using GNIS coordinates.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cascade Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
  4. ↑ Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, California: Benchmark Maps. 2012. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-929591-62-9.
  5. ↑ "Crescent Creek". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Big Marsh Creek". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Little Deschutes River". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Crescent Creek". United States Forest Service. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Crescent Creek Campground". United States Forest Service. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Crescent Creek at Crescent Lake". United States Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
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