The South Fork Crooked River is a tributary, 76 miles (122.3 km) long, of the Crooked River

Crooked River (Oregon)

The Crooked River is a tributary, long, of the Deschutes River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river begins at the confluence of South Fork Crooked River and Beaver Creek. Of the two tributaries, the South Fork Crooked River is the larger and is sometimes considered part of the Crooked River proper...

 in the U.S. state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. Starting southeast of Hampton

Hampton, Oregon

Hampton is an unincorporated community in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located about 20 miles southeast of Brothers, on U.S. Route 20, on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. It is the largest settlement between Bend and Hines....

 in Deschutes County

Deschutes County, Oregon

-National protected areas:* Deschutes National Forest * Newberry National Volcanic Monument-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 115,367 people, 45,595 households, and 31,962 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 54,583...

, the South Fork flows east from near Ram Lake (dry). It passes under U.S. Route 20

U.S. Route 20 in Oregon

U.S. Route 20 in Oregon is a major east–west cross-state highway, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa.- Route description :...

 at Hampton, then continues east and north for about 6 miles (10 km) before entering Crook County

Crook County, Oregon

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,182 people, 7,354 households, and 5,427 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 8,264 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile...

. Shortly thereafter it receives Buck Creek from the right and then passes through Logan Reservoir. Flowing north, it receives Sand Hollow Creek from the left, then Twelvemile Creek from the right before crossing under Oregon Route 380

Oregon Route 380

Oregon Route 380 is an Oregon state highway running from Prineville to Paulina. OR 380 is known as the Paulina Highway No. 380...

 (Southeast Paulina Highway). Just north of the highway, the river joins Beaver Creek to form the Crooked River 125 miles (201.2 km) from its confluence with the Deschutes River.

The South Fork Crooked River drains a sparsely populated basin of 1530 mi2. About 75 percent of the basin is rangeland

Rangeland

Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...

; the rest is a mixture of forests, pasture, and hay fields. Precipitation varies from less than 9 inches (228.6 mm) near the river's source to as much as 35 inches (889 mm) in the Ochoco Mountains

Ochoco Mountains

The Ochoco Mountains are a mountain range in central Oregon. The Ochoco Mountains form the western end of the Blue Mountains province. The mountains were formed when Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic rocks were slowly uplifted by volcanic eruptions to form the Clarno Formation. Today, the highest...

on the northeastern edge of the watershed.