Washougal River
| Washougal River | |
|---|---|
Flowing under a bridge | |
Location of the mouth of Washougal River in Washington Washougal River (the United States) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Clark, Skamania |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | near McKinley Ridge and Lookout Mountain |
| • location | Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Skamania County |
| • coordinates | 45°47′27″N 122°08′55″W / 45.79083°N 122.14861°W |
| • elevation | 2,761 ft (842 m) |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
• location | Washougal and Camas, Clark County |
• coordinates | 45°34′43″N 122°24′00″W / 45.57861°N 122.40000°W |
• elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Length | 33 mi (53 km) |
| Basin size | 212 sq mi (550 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 873 cu ft/s (24.7 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 40,400 cu ft/s (1,140 m3/s) |
The Washougal River is a 33-mile (53 km) tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters and upper 21 miles (34 km) are in Skamania County in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and its lower 12 miles (19 km) are in Clark County. The river, which flows through the city of Washougal and meets the Columbia at the City of Camas, is a popular stream for fishing, swimming, and boating.
Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark referred to the Washougal River as the "Seal River". The name Washougal comes from the Cascades Chinook placename [wasiixwal] or [wasuxal], meaning "rushing water".