Coos_River
Coos River
River in Oregon, United States
The Coos River flows for about 5 miles (8.0 km) into Coos Bay along the Pacific coast of southwest Oregon in the United States.[4] Formed by the confluence of its major tributaries, the South Fork Coos River and the Millicoma River, it drains an important timber-producing region of the Southern Oregon Coast Range.[5] The course of the main stem and the major tributaries is generally westward from the coastal forests to the eastern end of Coos Bay near the city of Coos Bay.[7]
The river is the largest tributary of Coos Bay, which at about 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) is the largest estuary that lies entirely within Oregon.[5] The river enters the bay about 15 miles (24 km)[5] from where the bay—curving east, north, and west of the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend and passing by the communities of Barview and Charleston—meets the ocean.[7] About 30 other tributaries also enter the bay directly.[5]
Most of the Coos River watershed of 730 square miles (1,900 km2) is in Coos County, but 147 square miles (380 km2) are in eastern Douglas County.[5] Commercial forests cover about 85 percent of the basin.[5]
The river supports populations of chinook and coho salmon, Pacific lamprey,[8] western brook lamprey,[8] shad, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. Since public river-bank access is limited, fishing is often done by boat.[9]