North Fork of the Owyhee River

Idaho

Bureau of Land Management
3948 Development Avenue
Boise, Idaho 83705

Designated Reach: March 30, 2009. The North Fork of the Owyhee River from the Idaho-Oregon State border upstream to the upstream boundary of the North Fork Owyhee River Wilderness.

Classification/Mileage: Wild — 15.1 miles; Recreational — 5.7 miles; Total — 20.8 miles.

Six miles of the North Fork Owyhee River, from the Idaho-Oregon border upstream to the Juniper Mountain road crossing, are designated as a recreational. Just over 15 miles, from the recreational river section upstream to the boundary of the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness, are designated wild.

The North Fork Owyhee River consists of a steep, vertical walled canyon ranging in depth from 200 to 500 feet. As it flows toward Oregon, the canyon changes from a landscape dominated by rhyolite monoliths and pinnacle formations to one engulfed in sheer walls of blocky basalt. The river shoreline is lined with groves of mature and old-growth juniper woodlands. During high spring flows, a portion of this river is used by expert boaters as an outstanding Class V whitewater run.