Why is the River White?

Particles the size and color of plaster dust give the White River its distinctive pale hue. Geologists call these particles glacial flour, pulverized rock produced by the Emmons Glacier’s slow-moving mill wheel. Meltwater from the Emmons Glacier high on Mt. Rainier fills the White River for its first mile or two. The White River and its tributaries support five runs of anadromous fish, including Sockeye, Coho, and Chinook salmon. The view of Skookum Falls has enthralled visitors for many hundreds of years, and Skookum means “strong” in the Chinook jargon of the early European traders.

Washington · United States