South Fork Crooked River

The South Fork Crooked River is a tributary, 76 miles (122 km) long, of the Crooked River in the U.S. state of Oregon.[3] Starting southeast of Hampton in Deschutes County, the South Fork flows east from near Ram Lake (dry). It passes under U.S. Route 20 at Hampton, then continues east and north for about 6 miles (10 km) before entering Crook County. Shortly thereafter, east of Hampton Buttes, it receives Buck Creek from the right and then passes through Logan Reservoir. Flowing north, it receives Sand Hollow Creek from the left, then Twelvemile Creek from the right before crossing under Oregon Route 380 (Southeast Paulina Highway). Just north of the highway, the river joins Beaver Creek to form the Crooked River 125 miles (201 km) from its confluence with the Deschutes River.[5][6]

South Fork Crooked River
Lower river west of Paulina
Location of the mouth of South Fork Crooked River in Oregon
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Deschutes and Crook
Physical characteristics
Source	Ram Lake (dry)
• location	near Hampton, Deschutes County
• coordinates	43°38′55″N 120°23′40″W[1]
• elevation	4,779 ft (1,457 m)[2]
Mouth	Crooked River
• location	near Paulina, Crook County
• coordinates	44°06′05″N 120°03′04″W[1]
• elevation	3,622 ft (1,104 m)[1]
Length	76 mi (122 km)[3]
Basin size	1,530 sq mi (4,000 km2)[4]

The South Fork Crooked River drains a sparsely populated basin of 1,530 square miles (4,000 km²). About 75 percent of the basin is rangeland; the rest is a mixture of forests, pasture, and hay fields. Precipitation varies from less than 9 inches (230 mm) near the river's source to as much as 35 inches (890 mm) in the Ochoco Mountains on the northeastern edge of the watershed.[4]