Carbon River

The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles (48 km) from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting.

Carbon River
The Carbon River near the town of Carbanado. Looking upstream from Fairfax Bridge.
The Carbon River is shown highlighted in the Puyallup River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyPierce
CityOrting
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Rainier
  locationCarbon Glacier
  coordinates46°56′38″N 121°47′24″W
  elevation3,575 ft (1,090 m)
MouthPuyallup River
  location
Orting
  coordinates
47°7′50″N 122°13′58″W
  elevation
112 ft (34 m)
Length30 mi (48 km)
Basin size78.9 sq mi (204 km2)
Discharge 
  locationFairfax, WA
  average427 cu ft/s (12.1 m3/s)
  minimum32 cu ft/s (0.91 m3/s)
  maximum12,000 cu ft/s (340 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  leftVoight Creek
  rightSouth Prairie Creek

Charles Wilkes called the river the "Upthascap River", but after the discovery of coal along its banks in 1876 the river was renamed "Carbon".

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