Natural History
The Sol Duc and the other tributaries of the Quillayute River support some of the healthiest stocks of wild winter steelhead trout in the Pacific Northwest, with as many as 19,000 steelhead returning to spawn in some years. There are also large runs of chinook and coho salmon. The lack of glaciers at stream headwaters keeps the consistency of river fish habitats. Of the Quillayute's tributaries, the Sol Duc River is remarkable in its migratory fish diversity and health. It is the only Quillayute tributary that supports spring chinook salmon. It contains sockeye salmon in June and July and so-called summer coho salmon in August and September. Cutthroat trout also spawn in the Sol Duc River.
The Sol Duc River is one of the only rivers of the Olympic Peninsula that supports all five major species of salmon. The upper Sol Duc is a prime coho spawning stream.
Read more about this topic: Sol Duc River
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