Big Wood River

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Big Wood River
Country United States
State Idaho
Regions Blaine County, Lincoln County, Gooding County
Major cities Sun Valley, Ketchum
Length 120 mi (193 km) [1]
Discharge at below Magic Reservoir
 - average 464 cu ft/s (13.14 m³/s) [2]
 - maximum 9,800 cu ft/s (277.51 m³/s)
 - minimum 0 cu ft/s (0 m³/s)
Source Sawtooth Range
 - location Galena Summit, Blaine County
 - coordinates 43°51′38″N 114°42′48″W / 43.86056, -114.71333 [1]
 - elevation 9,100 ft (2,774 m) [3]
Mouth Malad River
 - coordinates 42°56′42″N 114°47′44″W / 42.945, -114.79556 [1]
 - elevation 3,460 ft (1,055 m) [3]
Major tributaries
 - left North Fork Big Wood River, East Fork Wood River
 - right Camas Creek

The Big Wood River is a river in Idaho in the United States. It is a tributary of the Malad River, which in turn is tributary to the Snake River and Columbia River.

[edit] Course

From its source in the Sawtooth Range near Galena Summit the Big Wood River flows generally south, between the Boulder Mountains and Pioneer Mountains to the east, and the Smoky Mountains to the west.

The river flows by Sun Valley and Ketchum, where it receives the tributary stream of Warm Springs Creek. Below Ketchum, it is joined by the East Fork Wood River before passing by the small cities of Hailey and Bellevue. Continuing south, the river enters the Wood River Valley, the northern part of Magic Valley, after which is flows into Magic Reservoir. A tributary stream, Camas Creek, joins the river in Magic Reservoir.

Below Magic Reservoir, the Big Wood River enters Lincoln County, passing by many lava beds and irrigation canals before entering Gooding County. Just west of Gooding, the Big Wood River joins the Little Wood River to form the Malad River.

Big Wood River's water flow is affected by numerous irrigation reservoirs and canals on the river itself and its tributaries.

Variant names of the Little Wood River, according to the USGS, include Malad River, Malade River, Wood River, Poisonous Beaver River, and Sickley River.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d USGS GNIS: Big Wood River, USGS, GNIS.
  2. ^ Water Resource Data, Idaho, 2005, USGS.
  3. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.