The Middle Fork of the Willamette River and the Coast Fork join near Eugene, and flow 187 miles north to join with the Columbia River north of Portland.

The Willamette Valley lies between the Cascade Mountain Range on the east, and the Coast Range on the west. The Willamette Basin* is the largest watershed* entirely contained within a state. It drains 11,487 square miles of land. That is nearly 12% of Oregon. *an area where the creeks and rivers flow into a large river

The Willamette River is the 13^th largest river by volume* within the United States. It also claims the second largest waterfall by volume in the US, at Willamette Falls in Oregon City. (Second to Niagra Falls). *amount of water in it

One of the important water sources for the North Fork of the Willamette River is Waldo Lake, one of the purest lakes in the world.

The Willamette River winds its way through Oregon's largest cities, including Eugene, Salem, and Portland. It also winds through farmlands, forests, and quiet towns.

70% of Oregon's population lives in the Willamette Valley, and most of those residents live within a 20 minute drive of the river.

The Willamette River Greenway System was the idea of Governor Bob Straub in the early 1970's. It now has over 10,000 acres along the Willamette River between Cottage Grove and Portland. The idea was to clean up the river, and to allow more people the chance to enjoy the river. Now most of the land is owned by Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department. Some additional land is owned by Oregon Department of State Lands. Some of these lands are large developed Parks, and other lands are undeveloped natural areas along the river.