Raft River (Washington) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raft River
Location of the mouth of the Raft River in Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Grays Harbor
Physical characteristics
Main source	Confluence of Crane Creek and Lunch Creek Quinault Reservation 187 ft (57 m) 47°27′14″N 124°10′2″W / 47.45389°N 124.16722°W / 47.45389; -124.16722
2nd source	North Fork Raft River Olympic Mountains 1,245 ft (379 m) 47°30′47″N 124°3′29″W / 47.51306°N 124.05806°W / 47.51306; -124.05806
River mouth	Pacific Ocean Tunnel Island 0 ft (0 m) 47°27′42″N 124°20′34″W / 47.46167°N 124.34278°W / 47.46167; -124.34278
Length	20.5 mi (33.0 km)

The Raft River is a cool stream found completely inside the Quinault Indian Reservation in Grays Harbor County, Washington. It's on the Olympic Peninsula. This river and its smaller streams (called tributaries) flow west from the Olympic Mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. You can find it a bit north of the Quinault River and a bit south of the Queets River.

Journey of the Raft River

The Raft River starts where two smaller streams, Crane Creek and Lunch Creek, meet. Both of these creeks flow southwest from the Olympic Mountains. From this starting point, the Raft River flows west for about 11.5 mi (18.5 km). As it travels, it collects water from other streams like the South Fork and North Fork Raft River. Finally, it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Crane Creek is the longer of the two starting streams, adding about 5.5 mi (8.9 km) to the river's total length, making it about 17 mi (27 km) long from its farthest source.

How the River Grows

Just before Crane Creek and Lunch Creek join to form the main Raft River, Crane Creek is joined by Cedar Creek. All three of these creeks (Crane, Cedar, and Lunch) flow southwest from the Olympic Mountains. Lunch Creek also gets water from Meadow Creek right before it meets the Raft River.

Less than a mile downstream from Lunch Creek, the Raft River is joined by the South Fork Raft River, which comes from the south. The South Fork starts a few miles away in a wet area called O'Took Prairie. As the Raft River continues west, it picks up a couple more small streams. Then, Hoh Creek joins it from the south. After a few more miles, the North Fork Raft River flows in from the north.

The Longest Branch

The North Fork Raft River begins high up in the Olympic Mountains, very close to the edge of the Quinault Reservation. It's the longest branch of the river, stretching about 17.5 mi (28.2 km). If you add the length of the North Fork to the main Raft River after they meet, the total length is about 20.5 mi (33.0 km). The North Fork Raft River also has its own smaller streams, including Wolf Creek, which has even smaller branches like Trail Creek and Swede Creek.

River's Path to the Ocean

After the North Fork joins, the Raft River is met by Red Creek and then Rainy Creek. In this part, the river winds and turns through a flat, wide area called a floodplain, which is about 3,000 ft (910 m) across. The river itself is usually about 90 ft (27 m) wide, but it can get wider, over 300 ft (91 m), at its bends.

The Raft River eventually flows into the Pacific Ocean near a tall rock formation in the sea called Tunnel Island. There are also other smaller rock stacks nearby, one of which used to be called Elephant Rock. It was named this because its arch looked like an elephant's trunk. Sadly, the "trunk" part of the arch fell down in 2016.

The last 1.19 mi (1.92 km) of the Raft River is an estuary. This means it's a special area where the ocean's tides mix salty seawater with the river's fresh water.

River Environment and Wildlife

Most of the land around the Raft River, called its drainage basin, is made up of low hills and flat areas. A lot of this land has been clear-cut (where all the trees are cut down) in recent years.

Amazing Fish and Animals

The Raft River and its smaller streams are home to many types of fish, including chum salmon and coho salmon, which come here to lay their eggs. Some Chinook salmon also lay their eggs in the main part of the Raft River. Other fish found here include bull trout and steelhead trout.

Beyond fish, you might spot amazing birds like bald eagles and peregrine falcons, which are very fast. There are also spotted owls and many other animals living in the Raft River area.

The Special Estuary

The river's estuary, where the tides bring in salt water to mix with the fresh river water, is a very special place. It's also very important to the culture of the Quinault Indian Nation. Even though it's not as big as the nearby Queets River estuary, the Raft River's estuary is large and has many different kinds of habitats for plants and animals.

Because it's mostly reached by walking, this area is still very natural and untouched. However, there's some evidence that ATVs have been used there, and you might see some non-native European beach grass. It's important to know that people who are not members of the Quinault Tribe are not allowed to go to the estuary and beaches unless they are with a Tribal representative.

Tsunami Safety

The river's estuary and the lower part of the river, up to where the North Fork joins, are in a tsunami hazard zone. This means there's a risk of large ocean waves in this area.

Raft River Tributaries

Here are the main streams that flow into the Raft River, listed from the mouth of the river going upstream:

• Rainy Creek
• Red Creek
• North Fork Raft River
  • Wolf Creek
    • Trail Creek
      • Swede Creek
• Hoh Creek
• South Fork Raft River
• Lunch Creek
  • Meadow Creek
• Crane Creek
  • Cedar Creek