| Nestucca River | |
| Name Etymology: | Indian word for a part of the river or a point on its banks or for a tribe living nearby[1] |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon#USA |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Nestucca River in Oregon |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type4: | County |
| Subdivision Name4: | Tillamook |
| Length: | 57miles[2] |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 1050cuft/s |
| Source1: | Central Oregon Coast Range |
| Source1 Location: | near Ball Bearing Hill, Tillamook County, Oregon |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 45.2731°N -123.3925°W[3] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 2249feet[4] |
| Mouth: | Nestucca Bay |
| Mouth Location: | near Pacific City, Tillamook County, Oregon |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 45.1842°N -123.9572°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0feet |
| Basin Size: | 255sqmi |
The Nestucca River flows for about 57miles through forests near the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains a timber-producing area of the Northern Oregon Coast Range west of Portland.
Rising in the mountains of western Yamhill County, it is impounded near its headwaters to create McGuire Reservoir, the primary water source for the city of McMinnville. The river flows generally west through Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and the Siuslaw National Forest, past Beaver, then southwest past Hebo and Cloverdale. It enters Nestucca Bay, on the Pacific Ocean, from the north at Pacific City. The Little Nestucca River does not join the Nestucca but enters Nestucca Bay from the south.
Madelynne Sheehan in Fishing in Oregon calls the Nestucca River "a real gem of an all-around stream."[5] Anglers can fish for spring chinook salmon, fall chinook, coho salmon, coastal cutthroat trout, and steelhead.[5] Winter steelhead on this river average 10lb14lb, while summer steelhead of 4lb7lb can sometimes appear "almost nose to tail throughout a 20miles section of the river".[5]
Bank access to the lower river is limited because much of the land is privately owned, but the stream, which is 50feetto100feetft (toft) wide on the lower reaches, is often fished from boats. Cloverdale, Farmer Creek, Three Rivers, and Pacific City have public boat ramps, and there are less formal put-in places upriver. Upstream of Moon Creek, more than half of the land along the river is publicly owned, is managed by the Siuslaw National Forest and the BLM, and includes five campgrounds. The upper river between Moon Creek and Elk Creek is fished mainly for winter steelhead, and no fishing is allowed upstream of Elk Creek.[5]
An 8miles stretch of the upper river between Rocky Bend Campground and Blaine offers whitewater canoeing and kayaking possibilities when the flow is about 1000cuft/s. The first 2miles of the run include a class 4 rapid followed by a class 5 and another class 4. An alternate put-in is available at a log bridge downstream of the second class 4. Below the bridge, class 2 and 3 whitewater continues for the remaining 6miles of the run.[6]