The
Deschutes River in central
Oregon is a major tributary of the
Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the
Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, eastern flank of the mountains. The Deschutes provided an important route to and from the Columbia for
Native Americans for thousands of years, and then in the 19th century for pioneers on the
Oregon Trail. The river flows mostly through rugged and arid country, and its valley provides a cultural heart for central Oregon. Today the river supplies water for
irrigation and is popular in the summer for
whitewater rafting and
fishing.