NOOKSACK RIVER

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 Canadian 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 has 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 (120 km) long. All three forks originate in the Mount Baker Wilderness.

Contents

Course

North Fork

Middle Fork

South Fork

Nooksack River

River modifications

References

Course

North Fork

The North Fork Nooksack River rises in central Whatcom County, north of Mount Shuksan in the western part of North Cascades National Park. It flows generally west, passing north of Mount Baker. For most of its course the North Fork is paralleled by Washington State Route 542 (also called the Mount Baker Highway).
At Nooksack Falls the river flows through a narrow valley and drops freely nearly 100 feet 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.
Continuing to flow west, the North Fork receives several tributaries including Wells Creek, Glacier Creek, and Canyon Creek, before the river turns briefly south. The Middle Fork and South Fork join within a few miles of one another. The Middle Fork joins first, creating the Nooksack River proper. The South Fork joins just east of Deming in the Nooksack Indian Reservation.

Middle Fork

The Middle Fork Nooksack River, about 20 miles (32 km) long, originates on the southern slopes of Mount Baker near Baker Pass.^[1] It flows generally northwest between Mount Baker and Twin Sisters Mountain.

South Fork

The South Fork Nooksack River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, rises in southern Whatcom County, east of Twin Sisters Mountain near Bell Pass and Lake Wiseman.^[2]. It flows briefly south, entering Skagit County, then northwest and north, reentering Whatcom County and flowing by Acme.

Nooksack River

After the Middle and South Forks join, the combined river flows northwest, emerging from the mountains and flowing past Everson and Lynden. At Lynden the river turns southwest and then, near Ferndale, south, to enter the north side of Bellingham Bay at the Lummi Indian Reservation, approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of Bellingham.^[3]

River modifications

The river supplies hydroelectricity near its source and at Nooksack Falls. The river is also blocked on the Middle Fork by the city of Bellingham to divert water into Bellingham's drinking water supply.
In the late 19th century, most of the stream flow of the Nooksack River near its mouth flowed through the present channel of the short Lummi River to Lummi Bay, northwest of Bellingham Bay. Near the turn of the century, a log jam plugged the channel to Lummi Bay, forcing the river to change its channel to the present one. The accumulation of the new river delta has been an ongoing field of research regarding the new wetlands it has created while no longer resupplying the previous delta on Lummi Bay, except during high flow conditions.

References

1.
2.
3. Course info mainly from: Washington Road & Recreation Atlas, , , , Benchmark Maps, 2000,