| Waatch River | |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Washington |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Waatch River in Washington |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Washington |
| Subdivision Type4: | County |
| Subdivision Name4: | Clallam |
| Source1: | Olympic Mountains |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 48.2867°N -124.5903°W |
| Mouth: | Pacific Ocean |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 48.3436°N -124.6753°W |
The Waatch River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean through Makah Bay.[1] The name "Waatch" comes from the Makah village name /waʔač'/, said to mean "bundling up cedar to make a torch".[2]
The Waatch River originates in the northwestern portion of Olympic Peninsula in the Makah Reservation. It flows north for several miles to within a mile of Neah Bay. After collecting the tributary Educket Creek the Waatch River turns west. It empties into the Pacific Ocean at northern end of Makah Bay, south of Waatch Point and Cape Flattery, and about a mile north of the mouth of the Sooes River. The Makah Air Force Station is located at the river's mouth.[1]
. William Bright. Native American placenames of the United States. 11 April 2011. 2004. University of Oklahoma Press. 978-0-8061-3598-4. 536.