The Willamette River

The Willamette (Will-am-it) River is the largest river in Oregon and runs through Salem. Many species of fish and wildlife make the River their home and provide a great sightseeing experience. A major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is 187 miles (301 km) long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and theCascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital,Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland. Portland surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia.