The Applegate River's
headwaters are located in the
Siskiyou Mountains in California, part of the
Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest. The water collects from
snowmelt and
springs. The Siskiyou area receives from of
precipitation annually. The
covered bridge was built in 1917 for
miners and
loggers. It was closed in 1956, deemed unsafe for
motor vehicles. Restored in 1965 and 1985, the bridge is now open for
pedestrians. Several miles past McKee Bridge is the confluence with the
Little Applegate River. Near
Ruch, the Applegate turns and flows northwest through the
unincorporated communities of
Applegate and
Provolt. Near Provolt it passes from
Jackson County to
Josephine County. Tributaries in this area include Thompson Creek and Williams Creek, and both flow north. Williams Creek was named after Captain Robert Williams, who fought the
Rogue River Indians along the creek during the
Rogue River Wars. It flows through
Williams, also named for the captain. From Williams Creek the Applegate turns west and flows through
Murphy. It then turns north through
Wilderville. The river empties into the
Rogue River west of
Grants Pass, just above the start of the
Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue. It discharges an average of , however as high as was recorded in 1953, and as low as was recorded in 1979, when Applegate Lake was being filled. ==Watershed==