The 'Ugashik River' is a 42-mile-long (67 km)
river on the
Alaska Peninsula of the
U.S. state of
Alaska. It flows from headwaters near Lower
Ugashik Lake and empties into
Ugashik Bay, an estuary of the
Bering Sea's
Bristol Bay.
The origin of the name Ugashik is somewhat obscure, although early spelling variants such as Oogashik and Ougashick suggest the name pertains to the source of the river: two waters (lakes) and it's muddy character.
The river has two major
tributaries and one minor: the
King Salmon River and the
Dog Salmon River both have confluences near the river mouth at
Ugashik Bay, while the smaller
Dago Creek joins just four miles (6 km) from
Smoky Point, where Ugashik Bay and
Bristol Bay meet.
The river is navigable to a small
lagoon located just outside the outlet from Lower Ugashik Lake. A small rapids between the lake and the lagoon serves as the location of a seasonally staffed
salmon-counting
weir operated by the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The river hosts several seasonal salmon runs including, during the peak summer season, part of the largest
sockeye salmon migration in the world.
See also
★
List of Alaska rivers
External links
★
Ugashik Area website