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The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, eastern flank of the mountains. The Deschutes provided an important route to and from the Columbia for Native Americans for thousands of years, and then in the 19th century for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The river flows mostly through rugged and arid country, and its valley provides a cultural heart for central Oregon. Today the river supplies water for irrigation and is popular in the summer for whitewater rafting and fishing. The river flows north, which is unusual in the United States. Several other Oregon tributaries of the Columbia River, however, including the Willamette and John Day rivers, also flow in a northerly direction. ==Description== The headwaters of the Deschutes River are at Little Lava Lake, a natural lake in the Cascade Range approximately northwest of the city of La Pine. The river flows south into Crane Prairie Reservoir, then into Wickiup Reservoir, from where it heads in a northeasterly direction past the resort community of Sunriver and into the city of Bend. In Bend, much of the river's water is diverted for irrigation by the Central Oregon Irrigation District; as a result, the river is much smaller when it leaves the city. Mirror Pond is an impoundment in central Bend for electricity generation and to serve as a scenic area in Drake Park. The river continues north from Bend, and just west of Redmond, Oregon. Here it passes by Eagle Crest Resort and Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint. As it heads north through the central Oregon high desert, the river carves a gorge bordered by large basalt cliffs. By the time it reaches Lake Billy Chinook, a reservoir west of Madras, the river is approximately below the surrounding plateau, the Little Agency Plains and Agency Plains. At Lake Billy Chinook the river is joined by the Crooked and Metolius rivers. Beyond the dam, the river continues north in a gorge well below the surrounding countryside. It passes through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, including the city of Warm Springs and the Kah-Nee-Ta resort. The river ends at its confluence with the Columbia River, southwest of Biggs Junction. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Deschutes River (Oregon)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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