The Zigzag River is a small river in Oregon's Cascade Range that drains southwestern Mount Hood. It is a tributary of the Sandy River. The Zigzag is fed by the Little Zigzag River; both drain the Zigzag Glacier on Mount Hood. It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) in length and flows westward to its confluence with the Sandy River near the community of Zigzag, Oregon. Its flow ranges from 200 to 1000 cubic feet per second (6 to 28 m³/s). The dramatic topography of the Mississippi Head escarpment dominates the upper Zigzag River, where the 41 mile Timberline Trail crosses the Zigzag River and the Paradise Park Loop Trail crosses a tributary. Avalanches have necessitated rebuilding of the Timberline Trail switchbacks on the southeast side of the river; the Pacific Crest Trail also follows this route. Seventy-five foot Little Zigzag Falls on the Little Zig Zag River is one of the three most popular off-road locations in the Zigzag basin, along with Mirror Lake on the Camp Creek tributary and the area just west of Timberline Lodge under three ski lifts which drains into the largest tributary, Still Creek. Other than 11,239 foot (3426 m) Mt. Hood, the highest point in the Zizag watershed is 5,045 foot (1655m) Devils Peak which has a fire tower now used by overnight hikers. This area is under consideration in the 2007 Oregon Wilderness Area bill before congress for addition to the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness. The northern part of the watershed and the uppermost Zigzag River are in the Mt. Hood Wilderness. The Zigzag river is rated as class IV whitewater and has a gradient of 200 feet per mile (38 metres per km). [1][2]
References
- ^ American Whitewater: McNeil Campground to Lolo Pass Road (Zigzag). Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
- ^ Pat Welch's Kayaking and Whitewater Information Page. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
