RIVER OF THE MONTH
30 YEARS
Illinois River Oregon’s Illinois River is one of the wildest rivers in the Lower 48. From its source high in the Siskiyou Mountains near the Oregon-California border, the river courses northwest through a lush, boulder-strewn canyon and joins the Rogue River near the town of Agness. Its 50-mile Wild and Scenic segment is one of the most remote river reaches in the West, famous for its clear, emerald water and treacherous rapids.
Why It Matters
PAT CLAYON
The Illinois River stands alone among West Coast rivers for its water quality, premier whitewater, botanical diversity and splendid isolation. With vast roadless expanses and no dams, the Illinois is the lifeline of the northern Kalmiopsis Wilderness and nourishes a tremendous diversity of fish, wildlife and plants, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
NATHANIEL WILSON
Fish
Biodiversity
The river is a stronghold for wild salmon and steelhead, with significant runs of fall Chinook and coho salmon, winter steelhead, resident and sea-run cutthroat trout (above) and Pacific lamprey. The Illinois has never had a major hatchery operation, so its native salmonids have among the purest genetic lineage of any fish populations on the West Coast.
The Illinois flows through the heart of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion, a global hotspot for biodiversity. An incredible 1,400 plant species are found here, including the carnivorous Darlingtonia californica, which grows nowhere else in the world. Wildlife abounds along the river, including black bear, deer, otter and many other species.