The Sooes River, also known as the Tsoo-Yess River, originates in the northwest foothills of the Olympic Mountains and flows for 16 miles (26 km) through private timberlands and the Makah Reservation until it reaches Makah Bay, about 120 miles (194 km) northwest of Seattle and 4 miles (6.5 km) southwest of Neah Bay, Washington. The Sooes River watershed is intensively managed for timber production with major logging occurring in the 1970s.

Makah Reservation is located on Cape Flattery with the northern boundary at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the western boundary at the Pacific Ocean. It has a land area of about 47 square miles (12,173 ha) and a resident population of 1,400 with the largest community being Neah Bay. The Makah are the southernmost of the Wakashan linguistic group, and the only member of this family living within the United States. Other bands are First Nations peoples on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The main tribal income is from forestry, fishing, and tourism.

The Makah National Fish Hatchery is located on the Sooes River, about 3 miles (5 km) upstream from the river mouth. The National  Fish Hatchery System is a network of 71 hatcheries that operate for restoration and recovery programs. The Makah hatchery works to conserve native stocks of fall Chinook and Coho salmon while also producing enough smolts to contribute to area tribal, commercial, and sport fisheries. Returning adults are sorted and either spawned or passed upstream depending on stock needs and program goals. Read more here and here. Explore more of Sooes River here: