Cedar River (Washington) - Course

Course

The Cedar River originates in the Cascade Range near Abiel Peak, Meadow Mountain, and Yakima Pass, along the King and Kittitas countyline. Several headwater streams join in the high mountains, then the Cedar River flows generally west. It is impounded in Chester Morse Lake, a natural lake that was dammed in 1900 for use as a water storage reservoir. The Rex River joins the Cedar in Chester Morse Lake, as do the two forks of the Cedar River, the north and south forks.

Below the lake the Cedar River flows through a smaller lake called Masonry Pool. Below Masonry Pool the Cedar River flows by two former railroad sites, Bagley Junction and Trule. Then the river exits the Cedar River Watershed at Landsburg where pipelines route water to the Seattle area.

Below the Cedar River Watershed area the river flows west and north, past the city of Maple Valley and Renton. At Renton the Cedar River empties into the southern end of Lake Washington. Its waters eventually enter Puget Sound via the Lake Washington Ship Canal.