East Fork Lewis River

Just over 40 miles long, the East Fork Lewis River originates in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington and unites with the mainstem Lewis River in La Center before running to the Columbia River. “The East Fork Lewis River is home to wild steelhead that have spawned here for millennia,” said Columbia Land Trust Conservation Director, Nate Ulrich. “The river gives so much to the people and wildlife of southwest Washington.” 

The Land Trust has worked in this watershed for more than 20 years. In the lower section of the East Fork, we closely collaborate with Clark County and have helped conserve more than 150 acres as part of the long-term East Fork Lewis River Greenway project. This collaboration helps provide nature access close to home for residents of this rapidly growing part of of the state in addition to protecting important wildlife habitat. 

The East Fork is also significant as one of just four rivers along the lower Columbia River designed as a wild steelhead gene bank by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. This means that hatchery fish are excluded to protect the federally threatened wild lower Columbia steelhead run. In 2024, the Land Trust conserved Horseshoe Falls, which was the last major un-conserved waterfall along the East Fork. Waters in the reach above this site are closed to fishing to protect this important population, and this conservation success plays a major role in facilitating passage upriver to spawning habitat.