Cispus River

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title: "Cispus River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-washington-(state)", "rivers-of-lewis-county,-washington", "rivers-of-skamania-county,-washington", "rivers-of-yakima-county,-washington", "mount-adams-(washington)", "gifford-pinchot-national-forest", "midway-high-lakes-area", "geography-of-skamania-county,-washington", "goat-rocks"] description: "River in Lewis and Skamania counties, Washington state" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cispus_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in Lewis and Skamania counties, Washington state ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Cispus River
image	VIEW OF UPSTREAM ELEVATION OF BRIDGE, LOOKING SOUTHWEST BY 245 DEGREES - Cispus Valley Bridge, Spanning Cispus River at Forest Service Road 2306, Randle, Lewis County, WA HAER WASH,21-RAND,2-2.tif
image_caption	Bridge at Forest Service Road 2306
image_size	300
map_size	300
pushpin_map	Washington#USA
pushpin_map_size	300
pushpin_map_caption	Location of the mouth of the Cispus River in Washington
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	United States
subdivision_type2	State
subdivision_name2	Washington
subdivision_type4	County
subdivision_name4	Lewis, Skamania
length	54 mi
discharge1_location	river mile 17.4 near Randle
discharge1_min	165 cuft/s
discharge1_avg	1001 cuft/s
discharge1_max	9800 cuft/s
source1	Goat Rocks Wilderness
source1_location	Cascade Range
source1_coordinates
mouth	Cowlitz River
mouth_location	Lake Scanewa
mouth_coordinates
mouth_elevation	833 ft
::

| name = Cispus River | native_name = | native_name_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = | image = VIEW OF UPSTREAM ELEVATION OF BRIDGE, LOOKING SOUTHWEST BY 245 DEGREES - Cispus Valley Bridge, Spanning Cispus River at Forest Service Road 2306, Randle, Lewis County, WA HAER WASH,21-RAND,2-2.tif | image_caption = Bridge at Forest Service Road 2306 | image_size = 300 | map = | map_size = 300 | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Washington#USA | pushpin_map_size = 300 | pushpin_map_caption= Location of the mouth of the Cispus River in Washington | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Washington | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = County | subdivision_name4 = Lewis, Skamania | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = 54 mi | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= river mile 17.4 near Randle | discharge1_min = 165 cuft/s | discharge1_avg = 1001 cuft/s | discharge1_max = 9800 cuft/s | source1 = Goat Rocks Wilderness | source1_location = Cascade Range | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = | mouth = Cowlitz River | mouth_location = Lake Scanewa | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 833 ft | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra = The Cispus River is about 54 mi long and flows into the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa in the Cascade Range of Washington. Its tributaries drain most of south-central and southeastern Lewis County, extreme northeast Skamania County, and some of western Yakima County.

History

Indigenous residents on the Cispus River were known as the cispaclama. The river was the location of a site known to the Upper Cowlitz tribe as "Yuyutla". Translated as "person who shouts", the location was used by various other Native American groups in the region for thousands of years. Archeological studies started in the late 20th century provided evidence of tool building and hunting at the site which is thought to be located near Randle on a trail leading from a nearby campground. Research also included the find of a long-serving communal shelter and work site at Layser Cave.

German settlers in the mid-1800s founded the homestead community of Rhine, named after the river in Germany, which was located on the river near Cowlitz Falls. The community, which became a ghost town, renamed itself to Cispus. The name is from a mythical Upper Cowlitz warrior.

Course

The main stem begins in Lewis County in a high, glacial valley to the north of Snowgrass Flats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, located on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. From here the river flows in a looped, southwesterly direction into Skamania County and takes on the waters of several important headwater tributaries such as Walupt Creek.

About 40 mi from its mouth, the Cispus River receives Muddy Fork from the left. Muddy Fork starts 7 mi from this junction, at Mount Adams' Lava Glacier and is named for the glacial debris and silt in the water which give the river a muddy appearance. The Cispus River flows through a heavily forested valley, much of the forest regrown after the Cispus Burn, which occurred the first decade of the 20th century and consumed most of the lower drainage.

The rushing Canyon Creek enters the river originating high on the slopes of Mount Adams. A few miles down the North Fork Cispus enters the main branch about 20 mi from its start. From here on, the Cispus River flows westerly, passing campgrounds and trails in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Two tributaries, Yellowjacket and McCoy Creeks, flow into the river from the south about midway though its course. Beyond here, the river passes beneath Tower Rock, a prominent quartz diorite monolith on the south side of the river. Soon after this the river leaves the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and enters the Weyerhaeuser Cowlitz Tree Farm. The Cispus River ends its course entering the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa, just upstream from Cowlitz Falls and Riffe Lake near the flooded town of Kosmos.

Ecology and environment

The watershed is populated by hundreds of trees known as "basket trees", where the bark was used by indigenous people to create a variety of containers. Near Randle, the Cispus watershed contains old-growth Douglas fir forests, hosting trees up to 600-years old. Other timber species include alder, cedar, hemlock, and maple.

There is a stream flow monitoring station on the river which sends its data live to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Parks and recreation

The Cispus is host to the Cowlitz Falls Park, a day use area situated near its junction with Lake Scanewa. Whitewater rafting also takes place on the Cispus River.

References

References

1. United States Geological Survey. "United States Topographic Map". TopoQuest.
2. "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Cowlitz River Basin; 14231900 Cispus River above Yellowjacket Creek, near Randle, WA". United States Geological Survey.
3. {{GNIS. 1517793. Cispus River
4. {{GNIS. 1517792. Cispus River
5. "Cowlitz Falls Project". Lewis County Public Utility District.
6. (August 31, 2012). "Where and How the Cowlitz Lived". The Chronicle.
7. (May 3, 2003). "Digging up the past: East Lewis County man preserves ancient heritage of Gifford Pinchot National Forest". The Chronicle.
8. (April 15, 2005). "Barrier-free trail". The Chronicle.
9. (June 6, 1953). "Rhine After German River".
10. (July 13, 2012). "History of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe". The Chronicle.
11. (1985). "Place Names Of Washington". [[Washington State Historical Society]].
12. (October 29, 2004). "Coho bring anglers to Lake Scanewa". [[The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)]].

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