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It rises in the Blue Mountainas in the Wallowa-Whiteman National Forest in southwestern Union County approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of La Grande. It flows generally north along the east side of the Blue Mountains, then east, past La Grande, then generally northeast through the Grande Ronde Valley in a meandering course between the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains, receiving Catherine Creek east of La Grande
Approximately 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Miniam it receives the Wallowa River from the southeast, then receives the Wenaha River at Troy just south of the Washington border. It crosses into southeastern Washington, traversing the extreme southeast corner of the state and entering the Snake from the east approximately 5 mi (8 km) north of the Oregon border and 15 mi (24 km) downstream from the mouth of the Salmon River. It receives Joseph Creek from the south 2 mi (3.2 km) upstream from its mouth on the Snake.
A diversion channel approxiately 5 mi (8 km) long in the Grande Ronde Valley east of La Grande allows the river to bypass a long meandering loop, providing each access to its water for irrigation.
In the early 19th century the valley of the river was inhabited by Nez PerceThe Nez Perce or Nez Perc ( pronounced /n3z pVrs/, or /ne perse'/ as in French) are a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Pacific Northwest region of North America and adjoining regions at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Nez Perce is a, Umatilla, Walla WallaWalla Walla is a Native American group that lives on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The Walla Walla share land and a governmental structure with the Cayuse and the Umatilla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umat, and CayuseCayuse is a Native American group in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. The reservation is tribes of Native AmericanNative Americans (also Indians Aboriginal Peoples American Indians First Nations Alaskan Natives or Indigenous Peoples of America are the indigenous inhabitants of Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. This term compris. Numerous archaeologicalArchaeology or archeology ( American English) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. The goal of archaeology is to sh sites are on the public land around the river.
In 19881988 is a leap year starting on Friday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 2 Georgia celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 9 Connecticut celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 26 Australia celebrates its bicentennial day., the United States CongressThe United States Congress is the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The structure and responsibilities of Congress are defined in Article One of the United States Constitution. The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning tha designated approximately 44 mi (70 km) of the river, from its confluence with the Wallowa to the Oregon-Washington border, as the Grande Ronde Wild and Scenic River, as part of the National Wild and Scenic River program.
The river today is popular destination for hunting, especially for game animals such as mule deer, elk, black bear, cougar, and bighorn sheep. Fishing and hiking are also popular along the designated Wild and Scenic portion of the river. Most of the middle reaches of the river are inaccessible to motor vehicles.