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After flowing by Mother
Mountain on the west and Chenuis Mountain on the east, the Carbon River reaches Ipsut Creek and the national park campground of Ipsut Creek. This was also the end of the Carbon River Road entrance to Mount Rainier National Park before the 2006 floods washed out portions of the
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Flooding occurs frequently in the upper Carbon River valley. In 2006, a major flood resulted in the river forming new stream channels and in the process washing-out a portion of the Carbon River Road. The road is the main entrance to the northwestern part of Mount
Rainier National Park. Part of the
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After passing
Carbonado and receiving the tributary Lily Creek, the river valley broadens again and the Carbon River resumes its generally braided and meandering pattern. It turns west, flowing through an increasingly broad floodplain to the town of Crocker, where the river is joined by one of its
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As of 2008, the Carbon River Road was closed to motorized access at the entrance station. That added almost 11 miles (18 km) round trip for any hikes that formerly began at the Ipsut Creek
Campground. The Ipsut Creek campground is permanently closed to vehicle camping, and requires a back
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road. Below Ipsut Creek the Carbon River is joined by
Chenuis Creek from the north and Green Creek from the south. Shortly after these confluences the river exits Mount Rainier National Park. Carbon Ridge and its high summit Old Baldy Mountain, lie to the north. Tolmie Creek, flowing down from
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Having run generally northwest, the Carbon River turns more directly west until it is joined by Evans Creek just before the small settlement of
Fairfax. From Fairfax to Carbonado the Carbon River flows north through a narrow gorge, with Gleason Hill to the east and Wingate Hill to the west.
417:. Some of the river's headwater tributary streams include Cataract Creek and Spukwush Creek. The Carbon River quickly enters a broad glacial valley in which it deposits thick layers of glacial sediment. This causes the river to meander and becomes braided.
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Below
Crocker the Carbon River flows northwest to join the Puyallup River. The city of Orting is located at the confluence, in the floodplain between the Carbon and Puyallup rivers.
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such as silt and gravel. After emerging from the Carbon
Glacier the Carbon River flows through a broad glacier-carved valley where thick sediment deposits in the
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country camping permit for overnight use. Flood and/or high water conditions continue to represent dangers to users and can occur with little warning.
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the Carbon River flows through a narrow gorge (right) before emerging into another broad flood-prone valley near
Crocker and Orting.
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called the river the "Upthascap River", but after the discovery of coal along its banks in 1876 the river was renamed "Carbon".
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The Carbon River valley receives about 70 to 90 inches (1,800 to 2,300 mm) of rain per year, resulting in a
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main tributaries, South
Prairie Creek. Just below Crocker another major tributary, Voight Creek, joins.
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In some places, the 2006 flood of the Carbon River tore away large pieces of the Carbon River Road.
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As with other rivers flowing from Mount Rainier's glaciers, the Carbon River valley is at risk of
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One-lane bridge on SR165 about 2 miles south of Carbonado, Washington, on the way to Mt. Rainier
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The 494-foot long Fairfax Bridge was the highest bridge in the state when it was built in 1921.
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The source of the Carbon River is the Carbon Glacier on the north side of Mount Rainier in the
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road became a new channel of the river. Other parts of the road were washed away.
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Carbon River
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Formed by glacial meltwater, the Carbon River contains a heavy load of
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The Carbon River is shown highlighted in the Puyallup River watershed
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create sand and gravel bars causing the river to become complexly
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686:, Mount Rainier National Park, National Park Service.
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599:, Water Resource Data, Washington, 2005,
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316:12,000 cu ft/s (340 m/s)
644:Washington Road & Recreation Atlas
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296:427 cu ft/s (12.1 m/s)
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306:32 cu ft/s (0.91 m/s)
727:Rivers of Pierce County, Washington
621:. University of Washington Press.
264:78.9 sq mi (204 km)
33:The Carbon River near the town of
16:River in Washington, United States
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737:Tributaries of the Puyallup River
696:Volcanic Hazards in Mount Rainier
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597:Puyallup and White River Basins
205: • coordinates
130: • coordinates
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102:Physical characteristics
722:Rivers of Washington (state)
617:Washington State Place Names
244: • elevation
173:3,575 ft (1,090 m)
169: • elevation
732:Mount Rainier National Park
613:Phillips, James W. (1971).
415:Mount Rainier National Park
282: • location
193: • location
120: • location
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665:"WSDOT - Historic Bridges"
312: • maximum
302: • minimum
292: • average
641:Course info mainly from:
540:List of Washington rivers
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705:, National Park Service.
701:August 11, 2007, at the
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37:. Looking upstream from
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248:112 ft (34 m)
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227:47.13056°N 122.23278°W
152:46.94389°N 121.79000°W
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490:temperate rain forest
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232:47.13056; -122.23278
157:46.94389; -121.79000
353:South Prairie Creek
325:Basin features
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361:Carbon River
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343:Voight Creek
22:Carbon River
423:Tolmie Peak
330:Tributaries
286:Fairfax, WA
230: /
218:122°13′58″W
155: /
143:121°47′24″W
716:Categories
670:2009-05-08
546:References
474:meandering
466:stream bed
373:Washington
369:U.S. state
261:Basin size
140:46°56′38″N
76:Washington
478:Carbonado
273:Discharge
215:47°7′50″N
35:Carbanado
699:Archived
534:See also
462:sediment
59:Location
650:. 2000.
470:braided
456:Geology
367:in the
64:Country
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528:lahars
522:Lahars
501:Floods
405:Course
393:Orting
379:, the
377:source
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253:Length
198:Orting
111:Source
96:Orting
86:Pierce
82:County
365:river
363:is a
183:Mouth
72:State
652:and
623:ISBN
601:USGS
580:GNIS
359:The
92:City
391:at
383:on
371:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
