Metolius River

Map the course of the Metolius River

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Metolius River is a river in the U.S. state of Oregon. It rises in the Metolius Springs at Black Butte, an extinct stratovolcano east of the city of Sisters. The river flows 29 km north through the Deschutes National Forest and then turn east, until it empties into Lake Billy Chinook and thus into the Deschutes River. The river is regarded as one of the largest source -fed rivers of Oregon.

The river and its tributaries are an important spawning area for bull trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon. The Metolius River is an outstanding example of a relatively pristine waters in the catchment area of ​​the Deschutes River and is protected as a National Wild and Scenic River since 1988. A small, 12 -acre area at Camp Sherman with dry meadows and coniferous forest is protected by the Nature Conservancy as Metolius River Preserve. The Deschutes Land Trust acquired in 2003 a total of 500 acres of land at the headwaters of the river at Camp Sherman, which is wooded with a forest of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and western larch American and protects it as Metolius Preserve. The headwaters of Camp Sherman is a popular fishing spot, especially for fly fishing.