Sloan Creek is the largest tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the North Fork Sauk River

Sauk River (Washington)

The Sauk River is a tributary of the Skagit River, approximately long, in northwestern Washington in the United States. It drains an area of the high Cascade Range in the watershed of Puget Sound north of Seattle. The river is a popular destination for fly fishing...

, entering the river about 2.1 miles (3.4 km) above the mouth of Lost Creek. Its only major tributary is Cadet Creek, which enters the creek about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) above its mouth. According to Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey is an American mountaineer and author, who has made hundreds of first ascents, more than any other North American climber.-Early years:...

, Cadet Creek is larger than Sloan Creek and could be equally considered the head of the Sauk River as the North Fork itself.

Course

Sloan Creek begins at the outlet of Blue Lake, which is located a slight 0.4 miles west of the unnamed lake that is the source of the North Fork Sauk River. Sloan Creek, after exiting Blue Lake, soon enters Little Blue Lake, which is located at an elevation of 5185 feet (1,580.4 m). The creek exits Little Blue Lake and flows northwest for about 5.9 miles (9.5 km) until it turns north at its confluence with Cadet Creek. It picks up the waters of Bowser Creek about 2.3 miles above the mouth of Cadet Creek. From the mouth of Cadet Creek, the creek flows north for about 1.9 miles to its mouth. Sloan Creek shares its name with a mountain to the west, Sloan Peak

Sloan Peak

Sloan Peak is a mountain in the North Cascades of Washington state. It rises about east of Everett, Washington and 12 miles southwest of Glacier Peak, one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It is located, between the north and south forks of Sauk River, in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness...

.