Rushing Payette River

by Robert Bales

Title

Rushing Payette River

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

A view of autumn color and Squaw Butte in the Payette River from the Plaza Bridge which is a little distance from Emmett, Idaho.

The Payette River is an 82.7-mile-long river in southwestern Idaho and is a major tributary of the Snake River.
Its headwaters originate in the Sawtooth and Salmon River Mountains at elevations over 10,000 feet . Drainage in the watershed flows primarily from east to west, with the cumulative stream length to the head of the North Fork Payette River being 180 miles, while to the head of the South Fork the cumulative length is nearly 163 miles . The combined Payette River flows into an agricultural valley and empties into the Snake River near the city of Payette at an elevation of 2,125 feet . The Payette River's drainage basin comprises about 3,240 square miles (8,400 km2). It is a physiographic section of the Columbia Plateau province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division. The South Fork of the Payette has its headwaters in the Sawtooth Wilderness, which is part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

Squaw Butte is one of the most prominent peaks in the Treasure Valley. Although Shaffer Butte (Bogus Basin Ski Area) and Lucky Peak stand taller, Squaw is the most striking ridgeline if viewed from the south or east (viewed from the Boise area). The Squaw Butte Ridge is about 8 miles long, runs generally north to south, and has a steep eastern front that rises from about 2500 feet near Sweet and Ola, Idaho to 5500-5800 along the top of the ridge. If viewed from the south or east, it appears that the Squaw Butte ridge is a separate or island-like mountain. In actuality, it's an extension of the Boise Mountains that juts south from the main area of most peaks. The peak is chock full of igneous, or volcanic rock cliffs and boulders. This is unique to this vicinity, as many of the nearby peaks to the east contain granite based rock outcroppings.

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November 2nd, 2017

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