Wildhorse Creek (Alvord Lake)

For other uses, see Wild Horse Creek.

Wildhorse Creek is a tributary of Alvord Lake in Harney County in the U.S. state of Oregon.^[1] It originates at a spring on Steens Mountain and flows generally south through Wildhorse Canyon to the shallow alkaline lake,^[3] south of the Alvord Desert and north of the unincorporated community of Fields.^[4]

Wildhorse Creek
Wildhorse Lake and Canyon
Location of the mouth of Wildhorse Creek in Oregon
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Harney
Physical characteristics
Source	Steens Mountain
• location	Oregon
• coordinates	42°38′16″N 118°35′07″W[1]
• elevation	8,943 ft (2,726 m)[2]
Mouth	Alvord Lake
• coordinates	42°24′26″N 118°36′24″W[1]
• elevation	4,026 ft (1,227 m)[1]
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Type	Wild
Designated	October 30, 2000

Near the headwaters, the creek enters and exits Wildhorse Lake, which lies in a hanging valley. The upper 7-mile (11 km) of the creek, including Wildhorse Lake, are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In addition, a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) tributary, Little Wildhorse Creek, is part of the system. Wildhorse Creek and Little Wildhorse Creek flow through the Steens Mountain Wilderness before entering private land at lower elevations.^[5]

Designated "wild", the creek's watershed is home to mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep and pronghorn.^[5] Wildhorse Lake, covering about 20 acres (8 ha), supports populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout, which spawn in the creek.^[6]

The ghost town of Andrews, Oregon, lies in the Wildhorse Valley west of the creek. Slightly north of the ghost town is the Wildhorse Valley Airport.^[4]

Tributaries

From source to mouth, the named tributaries of Wildhorse Creek begin with Little Wildhorse Creek, which flows into the main stem in Wildhorse Canyon. In the Wildhorse Valley east of Steens Mountain, Willow, Willow Spring, Deppy, Stonehouse, Spring, Wilson, Andrews, Butte, Juniper, and Miranda creeks enter the main stem. All the tributaries enter from the right.^[4]

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon
• List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers

References

1. "Wildhorse Creek". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey (USGS). November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
3. "Alvord Lake and Basin". Audubon Society of Portland. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
4. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 9, 2015 – via ACME Mapper.
5. "Wildhorse & Kiger Creeks, Oregon". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
6. Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide (10th ed.). Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. p. 298. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.

External links

• National Wild and Scenic Rivers System