[5] From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish River is approximately 9 miles (14 km) long.

The South Fork flows southeast out of the national park and between Capitol Peak, on the west, and Wonder Mountain on the east.

It receives Church Creek from the west, then turns to flow southeast and east through a widening river valley.

The South Fork Skokomish leaves the main Olympic Mountains and enters flatter terrain, but flows through gorges for several miles.

The Indigenous people of Hood Canal, the Twana, lived on and fished the watershed of the Skokomish River for generations.

The Skokomish had four winter villages on the Skokomish River: at the confluence of the North and South Forks, called yəlal̕qu; at McTaggert Creek on the North Fork (Twana: x̌c̓ay̓ay); slightly upriver from McTaggert Creek at a flat in the river called č̓əlaxʷcəd; and below the falls at Lake Kokanee (Twana: č̓uq̓ʷaɬəɬ).

[14] On January 12, 2009, Tacoma Power, the Skokomish Tribe, and state and federal agencies signed settlement agreements that resolved long-standing disputes and damage claims relating to the Cushman Hydroelectric Project.

[15] As part of the settlement water will be released into the North Fork Skokomish River below the dams in order to mimic natural flow.

[17] It set an all-time record-high flood level on December 3, 2007, when an intense tropical rainstorm moved in following several inches of snow from the day prior.

The floods completely ripped up Highway 101 through the Skokomish Valley, resulting in two-day closure while emergency repairs were made.

After 16 months of planning and construction, a 350-foot bridge elevated 12 feet higher than the original roadway was opened in July 2009.

The Skokomish River is a popular location for television and print journalists to cover regional foods, including the joke "Why did the salmon cross the road?

"[20] The combination of increased sediment load due to extensive clearcut logging, the reduced sediment carrying capacity due to the damming of the North Fork, and winter-weather rain patterns are suspected to be the primary reasons for the flooding that occurs almost every year on the South Fork.