Malheur River
| Malheur River | |
|---|---|
Malheur River flowing through Harney County | |
| Etymology | From the French malheur (bad fortune), applied by French Canadian hunters whose cache of furs near the river were stolen |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Malheur, Harney, Grant |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Blue Mountains |
| • location | Grant County, Oregon |
| • coordinates | 44°8′5″N 118°37′14″W / 44.13472°N 118.62056°W |
| Mouth | Snake River |
• location | Malheur County, Oregon |
• coordinates | 44°3′33″N 116°58′31″W / 44.05917°N 116.97528°W |
• elevation | 2,133 ft (650 m) |
| Length | 190 mi (310 km) |
| Basin size | 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near Vale, Oregon |
| • average | 203 cu ft/s (5.7 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 20,800 cu ft/s (590 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | North Fork Malheur River, Bully Creek, Willow Creek |
| • right | South Fork Malheur River |
| Type | Wild, Scenic |
| Designated | October 28, 1988 |
The Malheur River (/ˈmælhjʊər/ MAL-hure) is a 190-mile-long (306 km) tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a high desert area, between the Harney Basin, the Blue Mountains and the Snake.
In the past Malheur Lake (located in the enclosed Harney Basin to the southwest) outflowed into the river.