[4] According to Queets and Quinault legend, river was originally called K'witzqu or quitzqu, pronounced "Kw-ā-tz", meaning "out of the dirt of the skin".

After fording the cold river he rubbed his legs to restore circulation, small rolls of dirt formed under his hand.

[2] The Queets River originates at the foot of the Humes Glacier on the southeast side of Mount Olympus in the Olympic Mountains.

[8] The river flows through a narrow canyon, cascading over Service Falls en route, to a point just below Paull Creek, where the valley opens up a bit.

The forests on the western side of the Olympic Mountains have one of the highest rates of biomass production per unit area in North America.

[6] There is a primitive National Park Service campground and ranger station (no longer staffed) at the end of the Queets River Road.

The river is runnable by kayak or canoe from the campground to the Highway 101 bridge (roughly 19 miles (31 km)), but is replete with hazards, mainly in the form of log jams.