Quillayute River Complex, Washington
- Sol Duc River, photo by John Kober
The headwaters of the rivers that converge to form the Quillayute River – the Sol Duc River, Bogachiel River, Calawah River and their tributaries – are formed primarily in the Olympic National Park. Each of these rivers also supports diverse and robust populations of native salmon, steelhead, trout, and char. At over 219 square miles, the Sol Duc is the largest tributary to the Quillayute and its wild winter steelhead populations are renowned as among the healthiest on the Washington coast. The Bogachiel is the next largest watershed and it too boasts healthy populations of wild native fish. The “Bogi” has characteristics of the Sol Duc and of the Hoh River, with majestic old growth rain forests protecting its banks, and has been a candidate for National Wild and Scenic classification, but so far has not received formal designation. The Calawah, a Native American word meaning “in the middle,” bisects the Sol Duc and Bogachiel drainages. In addition to its wild runs of native fish, the Calawah is one of the most technically challenging rivers to float on the Olympic Peninsula.
