The King Salmon River is a tributary of the Ugashik River, having its confluence 57°29′50″N 157°38′30″W / 57.49722°N 157.64167°W / 57.49722; -157.64167 with the Ugashik at the head of Ugashik Bay on the Alaska Peninsula in southwest Alaska.
It flows 35 miles (56 km) from headwaters at Mother Goose Lake in the Aleutian Range near Mount Chiginagak northwest to the upper reaches of Ugashik Bay. Its gravel bottom and many braided channels are ideal for the many king salmon which spawn in its waters but limits navigation to small skiff.
There are many rivers in Alaska bearing the name King Salmon River, including tributaries to the Egegik River and Nushagak River systems in southwest Alaska, alone. The name is also occasionally confused with a nickname given the Kenai River, a popular fishing stream located in the Cook Inlet drainage of southcentral Alaska.
Besides the large numbers of king salmon, the river also hosts large numbers of sea-run Dolly Varden, Chum Salmon and a small run of Pink Salmon.
Famous quotes containing the words king, salmon and/or river:
“King Herod shrieking vengeance at the curled
Up knees of Jesus choking in the air,
A king of speechless clods and infants. Still
The world out-Herods Herod;”
—Robert Lowell (1917–1977)
“The first man to discover Chinook salmon in the Columbia, caught 264 in a day and carried them across the river by walking on the backs of other fish. His greatest feat, however, was learning the Chinook jargon in 15 minutes from listening to salmon talk.”
—State of Oregon, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“My favorite figure of the American author is that of a man who breeds a favorite dog, which he throws into the Mississippi River for the pleasure of making a splash. The river does not splash, but it drowns the dog.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)