A Trivia Tribute to Tributaries

On a warm day in late May, Mike Barenti slid a whitewater kayak into the headwaters of central Idaho’s Salmon River and started paddling toward the Pacific Ocean. Kayaking Alone: Nine Hundred Miles from Idaho’s Mountains to the Pacific Ocean is the gripping account of his two-month, nine-hundred-mile solo journey into the world of the Columbia Basin. And so we take today’s “Tuesday Trivia” to the rapids, quizzing you on the Columbia River Basin, Salmon River, and Snake River. Will you paddle your way to a perfect score or flail about in the rushing water? Let’s dive in and see…

1. The Columbia River Basin covers approximately how many square miles?
A. 500,000
B. 375,000
C. 260,000
D. 420,000

2.How many states contain a portion of the Columbia River Basin?
A. 5
B. 3
C. 8
D. 7

3. What percentage of the Columbia Basin watershed is in Washington?
A. 22%
B. 19%
C. 32%
D. 11%

4. The Salmon River of Idaho is also known as what?
A. “The River of No Return”
B. “The Slithering Waterway”
C. “The Forked Tongue”
D. “Slippery When Wet”

5. The Salmon River was once named after which famous explorer?
A. Meriwether Lewis
B. William Clark
C. Marco Pollo
D. James Cook

6. Which of these rivers in the largest tributary of the Columbia River?
A. Mississippi River
B. Salmon River
C. Main River
D. Snake River

7. How long is the Snake River?
A. 1,356 miles
B. 2,072 miles
C. 1,038 miles
D. 987 miles

8. The Snake River rises in which national park?
A. Yellowstone
B. Yosemite
C. Joshua Tree
D. Disneyland

9. What is the name of the largest gorge of the Snake River? (Hint: It’s also one of the deepest in the world.)
A. Death Valley
B. Hell’s Canyon
C. Devil’s Pass
D. Jackson Hole

10. What is the maximum depth of the gorge mentioned above?
A. 6,700 feet
B. 5,980 feet
C. 7,350 feet
D. 7,900 feet

Be sure to visit the UNP blog tomorrow for the answers.  Have a great afternoon!