The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 130 mi (209 km) long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. It drains a scenic area of the northern Rocky Mountains along the border with U.S.-Canadian on the west side of the Columbia. The river is sometimes defined as the lower part Clark Fork River, which rises in western Montana. The river drains an area of approximately 25,820 sq mi (66,874 km²), mostly through the Clark Fork and its tributaries in western Montana.
Description
The river rises out of Lake Pend Oreille in Bonner County, Idaho in the Idaho Panhandle, draining the lake from its western end near Sandpoint (The Clarks Fork enters the lake from is eastern end). It flows west, receiving the Priest River from the north at the town of Priest River, then flows into southern Pend Oreille county in northeastern Washington at Newport. Once in Washington it turns north, flowing along the east end of the Selkirk Mountains. It flows roughly parallel to the Idaho border for approximately 50 mi (80 km), through the Colville National Forest , past Tiger and Metaline Falls. It crosses the international border into southeastern British Columbia, looping west for about 15 mi (24 km) and joining the Columbia from the east, approximately 2 mi (3 km) north of the international border and approximately 5 mi (8 km) south of Montrose .
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