Powder River (Oregon)

Infobox River
river_name = Powder River


caption = Wild and Scenic Powder River
origin = Elkhorn Ridge, Blue Mountains
length = mi to km|110
mouth = Snake River
mouth_elevation =
elevation =
discharge =
watershed = The Powder River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, in northeast Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Columbia Plateau on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains.

It rises in the southern Blue Mountains, along Elkhorn Ridge, approximately 20 mi (32 km) west of Baker City in eastern Baker County. It flows east past Sumpter and the through the Phillips Reservoir, then turns sharply north to flow past Baker City, entering a broad arid agricultural valley where it is used for irrigation. It receives the North Powder River from the east at North Powder, then turns sharply ESE to flow through Thief Valley Reservoir in a valley along the southern edge of the Wallowa Mountains. It enters the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon state line from the west, upstream from the Brownlee Dam, approximately 30 mi east of Baker City. The upper reaches of the river in the Blue Mountains are located in the Umatilla National Forest.

In 1988, 11.7 miles of the Powder River was designated Wild and Scenic. Between the Thief Valley Dam and the Highway 203 bridge, this stretch flows through a rugged canyon with spectacular geologic formations.

ee also

*List of Oregon rivers
*List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers