Map of some major California rivers and lakes This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California , grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
[ edit ] Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay that empty into the Pacific Ocean (arranged north to south; tributaries with those entering nearest the sea first). Bold indicates rivers with more detailed lists in following sections.
Smith River drainage basin Smith River
Rowdy Creek
Mill Creek
Myrtle Creek
South Fork Smith River
Craigs Creek
Coon Creek
Rock Creek
Gordon Creek
Goose Creek
Hurdygurdy Creek
Jones Creek
Buck Creek
Quartz Creek
Eightmile Creek
Harrington Creek
Prescott Fork Smith River
Middle Fork Smith River
Patrick Creek
Little Jones Creek
Monkey Creek
Siskiyou Fork Smith River
Griffin Creek
Knopki Creek
North Fork Smith River
Stony Creek
Still Creek
Diamond Creek Klamath River drainage basin Klamath River
Hunter Creek
Turwar Creek
Blue Creek
West Fork Blue Creek
Nikowitz Creek
Crescent City Fork Blue Creek
East Fork Blue Creek Ah Pah Creek
Tectah Creek
Pecwan Creek
Mettah Creek
Roach Creek
Tully Creek
Pine Creek
Trinity River jump to tributaries )Hopkins Creek
Copper Creek
Bluff Creek
Fish Creek
East Fork Bluff Creek
Notice Creek
North Fork Bluff Creek
Slate Creek
Red Cap Creek
North Fork Red Cap Creek
Middle Fork Red Cap Creek
Boise Creek Camp Creek
Pearch Creek
Salmon River jump to tributaries )Rogers Creek
Irving Creek
Rock Creek
Swillup Creek
Ukonom Creek
King Creek
Independence Creek
Clear Creek
South Fork Clear Creek
Fivemile Creek
Tenmile Creek
Bear Valley Creek
Red Hill Creek
West Fork Clear Creek
Doe Creek
Oak Flat Creek
Elk Creek
East Fork Elk Creek
Doolittle Creek
Bear Creek
Granite Creek
Toms Valley Creek
Rainy Valley Creek
Indian Creek
Doolittle Creek
East Fork Indian Creek
South Fork Indian Creek
Twin Valley Fork Indian Creek
Mill Creek
Granite Creek
Green Creek
China Creek
Thompson Creek
Fort Goff Creek
Portuguese Creek
Seiad Creek
Grider Creek
Walker Creek
Scott River
Mill Creek
Kelsey Creek
Shackleford Creek
Indian Creek
Moffett Creek
Kidder Creek
Etna Creek
Sugar Creek
East Fork Scott River
South Fork Scott River Shasta River
Yreka Creek
Oregon Slough
Little Shasta River
Willow Creek
Parks Creek
Whitney Creek Cottonwood Creek
Bogus Creek
Jenny Creek
Butte Creek (joins the Klamath in Oregon)
Lost River (joins the Klamath in Oregon)
Rock Creek
Willow Creek
Mowitz Creek Trinity River Trinity River drainage basin Trinity River
Mill Creek
Tish Tang o Tang Creek
Horse Linto Creek Willow Creek
South Fork Trinity River
Madden Creek
Grouse Creek
Buckeye Creek
Hayfork Creek
Corral Creek
Salt Creek
Big Creek
Carr Creek
East Fork Hayfork Creek Indian Valley Creek
Plummer Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Smoky Creek
Happy Camp Creek
East Fork South Fork Trinity River
Shell Mountain Creek Sharber Creek
Quinby Creek
Hawkins Creek
New River
Bell Creek
Big Creek
China Creek
Panther Creek
Quinby Creek
Devils Canyon Creek
East Fork New River
Slide Creek
Virgin Creek Canadian Creek
Big French Creek
Little French Creek
Price Creek
Manzanita Creek
Big Bar Creek
Sailor Bar Creek
North Fork Trinity River
East Fork North Fork Trinity River
Backbone Creek
Whites Creek
China Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Gas Creek
Grizzly Creek Canyon Creek
Big East Fork Canyon Creek
Little East Fork Canyon Creek
Oregon Gulch
Soldier Creek
Dutch Creek
Browns Creek
Reading Creek
Weaver Creek
Little Browns Creek
East Weaver Creek
West Weaver Creek
Indian Creek
Grass Valley Creek
Little Grass Valley Creek
Rush Creek
Deadwood Creek
Papoose Creek
Stuart Fork
Hobel Creek
Mule Creek
Stoney Creek
Owens Creek
Deep Creek
Boulder Creek
Deer Creek Swift Creek
East Fork Trinity River
Cedar Creek
Mumbo Creek
Crow Creek
Baker Creek Coffee Creek
Little Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek
Sugar Pine Creek
East Fork Coffee Creek
North Fork Coffee Creek
Union Creek
South Fork Coffee Creek
Scorpion Creek
Eagle Creek
Ramshorn Creek
Bear Creek
Tangle Blue Creek
Scott Mountain Creek
Little Trinity River
Sherer Creek
Picayune Creek
Cedar Creek
Bear Creek
High Camp Creek Salmon River
Merrill Creek
Somes Creek
Wooley Creek
Steinacher Creek
Bridge Creek
Rock Creek
Hancock Creek
North Fork Wooley Creek
Hell Hole Creek
Big Meadows Creek
South Fork Wooley Creek
Big Elk Fork Butler Creek
Morehouse Creek
Nordheimer Creek
Crapo Creek
North Fork Salmon River
Little North Fork Salmon River
Russian Creek
Right Hand Fork North Fork Salmon River South Fork Salmon River
Knownothing Creek
Methodist Creek
Black Bear Creek
Plummer Creek
St Claire Creek
Crawford Creek
Cecil Creek
East Fork South Fork Salmon River
Rush Creek
Little South Fork Salmon River Redwood Creek (Humboldt County)
Prairie Creek (California)
McArthur Creek
Tom McDonald Creek
Bridge Creek
Copper Creek
Devils Creek
Coyote Creek
Panther Creek
Garrett Creek
Lacks Creek
Minor Creek
Lupton Creek
Noisy Creek
High Prairie Creek
Minon Creek
Lake Prairie Creek
Bradford Creek
Pardee Creek
Twin Lakes Creek Mad River
Lindsay Creek
North Fork Mad River
Canon Creek
Maple Creek
Boulder Creek
Black Creek
Pilot Creek Primary streams entering Humboldt Bay are listed north to south beginning north of the entrance to the bay and continuing in a clockwise direction. Tributaries entering nearest the bay are listed first.[ 1] [ 2]
For additional detail on Humboldt Bay streams, see Humboldt Bay: Bay tributaries and sloughs .
[ edit ] Eel River watershed map Russian River near Duncan's Mills Rivers and streams between Humboldt Bay and the Golden Gate that empty into the Pacific Ocean (arranged north to south; tributaries with those entering nearest the sea first):
For details of the Sonoma and Marin coasts, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area .
Streams that empty into San Francisco Bay or its tributary bays (arranged clockwise, starting at the north side of the Golden Gate ; tributaries are listed from those entering nearest the bays to farthest). The Central Valley watershed feeding into Suisun Bay via the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is excluded; see the following section for the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems.
For additional detail on Bay Area creeks, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area .
[ edit ] Clockwise
[ edit ] For additional detail on Bay Area creeks, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area .
[ edit ] The Sacramento and San Joaquin River systems drain the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and most of the Central Valley, forming the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta before emptying into Suisun Bay; together, they are the largest river system in California.
Map of Sacramento River Sacramento River near the mouth Cache Creek , in the Coast RangesYolo Bypass location American River drainage basin Feather River drainage basin Headwaters of the Feather River Yuba River drainage basin Pit River drainage basin Pit River
McCloud River
Nosoni Creek
Chatterdown Creek
Squaw Valley Creek
Claiborne Creek
Hawkins Creek
Star City Creek
Angel Creek
Mud Creek
Ash Creek
Squaw Creek
Salt Creek
North Fork Squaw Creek
Potem Creek Roaring Creek
Iron Canyon Creek
Kosk Creek
Nelson Creek
Rock Creek
Clark Creek
Burney Creek Hat Creek
Fall River
Beaver Creek
Horse Creek
Ash Creek
Willow Creek
Dutch Flat Creek Taylor Creek
Turner Creek
Toms Creek
Clover Swale Creek
Canyon Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
North Fork Pit River
Pine Creek
Parker Creek
Thoms Creek
Joseph Creek
Goose Lake South Fork Pit River
Fitzhugh Creek
Dry Creek
Cedar Creek
Mill Creek
East Creek San Joaquin River map The San Joaquin River Mokelumne River drainage basin Note: In the Delta the Mokelumne River divides into two short branches, also called the "North Fork" and "South Fork", which recombine before reaching the San Joaquin River.
Calaveras River
New Hogan Dam , New Hogan Lake North Fork Calaveras River
Murray Creek
Jesus Maria Creek
Esperanza Creek
South Fork Calaveras River
Calaveritas Creek
San Antonio Creek
San Domingo Creek
Cherokee Creek Stanislaus River drainage basin Tuolumne River drainage basin Merced River drainage basin The Merced River in Yosemite Valley Map of the Tulare Lake Basin Usually an endorheic basin, waters in this region all eventually would reach Tulare Lake . This region would overflow into the San Joaquin River during flood years when Tulare Lake overflowed. Streams are listed clockwise around the Tulare Basin, starting at the Kings River:
Kings River jump to tributaries )Sand Creek
Cross Creek
Mill Creek
Elbow Creek
Cottonwood Creek
Lewis Creek
Tule River jump to tributaries )Deer Creek
Pothole Creek
Gordon Creek
Tyler Creek
White River
Coarse Gold Creek
Arrastre Creek
Chalaney Creek Rag Gulch
Five Dog Creek
Willow Springs Creek
Deer Creek
Poso Creek
Little Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Little Poso Creek
Cedar Creek
Von Hellum Creek
Spear Creek Kern River jump to tributaries )Caliente Creek
Walker Basin Creek
Tehachapi Creek
Indian Creek
Tejon Creek
El Paso Creek
Pastoria Creek
Grapevine Creek
Tecuya Creek
Salt Creek
Pleito Creek
San Emigdio Creek
Los Lobos Creek
Santiago Creek
Bitter Creek
Bitterwater Creek
Sandy Creek
Buena Vista Creek
Salt Creek
Chico Creek
Santos Creek
Media Agua Creek
Bitterwater Creek
Avenal Creek
Baby King Creek
Canoas Creek
Los Gatos Creek
Kings River drainage basin Kings River (Divides into the North Fork, South Fork and Clark's Fork distributaries in the San Joaquin Valley, not to be confused with the North and South Forks in the Sierra Nevada headwaters. North Fork connects to the Fresno Slough that drains into the San Joaquin River (during high flows), before turning to the south rejoining with the other distributaries to reform the Kings River and emptying into Tulare Lake .)
Fish Creek
Hughes Creek
Mill Creek Pine Flat Dam , Pine Flat Lake Deer Creek
Zebe Creek
Russian Charlie Creek
Lefever Creek
Billy Creek
Sycamore Creek Big Creek
Sacata Creek
Redoak Creek
Lower Rancheria Creek
Sycamore Springs Creek
North Fork Kings River
Dinkey Creek Basin Creek
Weir Creek
Black Rock Creek
Williams Creek
Mule Creek
Rancheria Creek
Teakettle Creek
Long Meadow Creek
Wishon Dam , Wishon Reservoir Woodchuck Creek
Short Hair Creek
Sharp Creek
Helms Creek
Post Corral Creek
Flemming Creek
Nichols Canyon
Meadow Brook
Fall Creek
Division Lake
Regiment Lake Davis Creek
Verplank Creek
Fox Canyon Creek
Converse Creek
Spring Creek
Cabin Creek
Garlic Meadow Creek
Rough Creek
Ten Mile Creek
Middle Fork Kings River
Deer Canyon Creek
Brush Canyon Creek
Tombstone Creek
Wren Creek
Silver Creek
Crown Creek
Gorge of Despair
Crystal Creek
Blue Canyon Creek
Lost Canyon Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Alpine Creek
Dog Creek
Kennedy Creek
Dougherty Creek
Horseshoe Creek Goddard Creek
Windy Canyon Creek
Cartridge Creek Rimbaud Creek
Palisade Creek
Cataract Creek
Glacier Creek
Dusy Branch
Helen Lake South Fork Kings River (This is the actual river that flows through Kings Canyon)
Lockwood Creek
Redwood Creek
Windy Gulch
Boulder Creek
Grizzly Creek
Lightning Creek
Deer Cove Creek
Lewis Creek
Sheep Creek
Hotel Creek
Roaring River
Granite Creek
Copper Creek
Avalanche Creek
Bubbs Creek
Sphinx Creek
Charlotte Creek
Cross Creek
North Guard Creek
East Creek Glacier Creek
Gardiner Creek
Woods Creek
Arrow Creek Kid Creek Kaweah River drainage basin Kaweah River in the foothills of the SierraKaweah River (Divides into the St. John's River , Mill Creek, Packwood Creek and other distributaries in the San Joaquin Valley. Some of these distributaries eventually rejoin to form Cross Creek, which continues southwest to the Tulare Lake bed.)
Location of the Kern River Kern River
Cottonwood Creek
Lucas Creek
Mill Creek
Erskine Creek
Isabella Dam , Lake Isabella North Fork Kern River
Cannell Creek
Salmon Creek
Tobias Creek
Brush Creek
South Creek
Dry Meadow Creek
Peppermint Creek
Durrwood Creek
Needlerock Creek
Freeman Creek
Little Kern River
Fish Creek
Deep Creek
Deep Creek
Clicks Creek
Sagebrush Gulch
Alpine Creek
Mountaineer Creek
Pecks Canyon Creek
Table Meadow Creek
Soda Springs Creek
Lion Creek
Willow Creek
Tamrack Creek
Rifle Creek
Shotgun Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Deadman Canyon Creek
Soda Creek
Osa Creek
Hockett Peak Creek
Grouse Canyon Creek
Manzanita Canyon Creek
Ninemile Creek
Cold Meadow Creek
Red Rock Creek
Long Canyon Creek
Long Stringer
Lost Trout Creek
Hells Hole Creek
Angora Creek
Hell For Sure Creek
Leggett Creek
Grasshopper Creek
Little Kern Lake Creek
Rough Creek
Coyote Creek
Golden Trout Creek Laurel Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Big Arroyo
Willow Creek
Soda Creek
Lost Canyon Creek Funston Creek
Chagoopa Creek
Rock Creek
Red Spur Creek
Whitney Creek
Wallace Creek Kern-Kaweah River
Tyndall Creek
Milestone Creek South Fork Kern River
Kelso Creek
Canebrake Creek Bartolas Creek
Palome Creek
Long Valley Creek
Taylor Creek
Manter Creek
Tibbets Creek
Trout Creek
Fish Creek
Bitter Creek
Lost Creek
Crag Creek
Honeybee Creek
Summit Creek
Cow Canyon Creek
Snake Creek
Soda Creek
Monache Creek
Schaefer Stringer
Strawberry Creek
Long Stringer
Dry Creek
Mulkey Creek
Movie Stringer
Lewis Stringer
Kern Peak Stringer Rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean between the Golden Gate and Point Arguello , arranged in order from north to south.
For details of the San Mateo coast, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area .
Salinas River drainage basin Santa Maria River drainage basin Santa Maria River
Nipomo Creek
Orcutt Creek
Cuyama River
Sisquoc River
Tepusquet Creek
La Brea Creek
North Fork La Brea Creek
South Fork La Brea Creek
Manzana Creek
Water Canyon
Abel Canyon
South Fork Sisquoc River Santa Ynez River drainage basin Rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Point Arguello, arranged from north to south:
Santa Clara River drainage basin Santa Clara River
Santa Paula Creek
Boulder Creek
Sespe Creek
Little Sespe Creek
Tar Creek
West Fork Sespe Creek
Alder Creek
Park Creek
Timber Creek
Trout Creek
Piedra Blanca Creek
Rose Valley Creek
Rock Creek
Potrero John Creek
Munson Creek
Cherry Creek
Adobe Creek
Abadi Creek Hopper Canyon Creek
Piru Creek
Santa Felicia Dam, Lake Piru Devil Canyon
Canton Canyon
Agua Blanca Creek
Fish Creek
Pyramid Dam , Pyramid Lake Gorman Creek
Buck Creek
Snowy Creek
Smith Fork
Dry Creek
Lockwood Creek
Mutau Creek
Alamo Creek
Little Mutau Creek
Sheep Creek
Cedar Creek Castaic Creek
Bouquet Canyon
South Fork Santa Clara River
Placerita Creek
Newhall Creek
Mint Canyon
Agua Dulce Canyon
Mill Canyon
Acton Canyon
Aliso Canyon
Kentucky Springs Canyon Ventura River
Manuel Canyon
Cañada Larga
Cañada de Alisos
Coyote Creek
Lake Casitas
Laguna Creek
Willow Creek
Santa Ana Creek
Poplin Creek Deep Cat Lake
East Fork Coyote Creek
West Fork Coyote Creek Matilija Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Lime Creek
Murietta Creek
Middle Fork Matilija Creek
Upper North Fork Matilija Creek North Fork Matilija Creek (This and Matilija Creek form the Ventura River's headwaters.) Santa Margarita River [ edit ] Santa Margarita River
Newton Canyon
Pueblitos Canyon
Wood Canyon
DeLuz Creek
Sandia Creek
Rainbow Creek
Temecula Creek
Pechanga Creek
Vail Lake Dam, Vail Lake
Long Canyon
Cottonwood Creek
Tule Creek
Chihuahua Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
Kohler Canyon Murrieta Creek
Empire Creek
Santa Gertrudis Creek
Warm Springs Creek
Kalmia Creek
Miller Canyon Creek
Cole Canyon Creek
Vail Canyon Creek
Bundy Canyon San Dieguito River
Santa Maria Creek (San Diego)
Santa Ysabel Creek
Temescal Creek (San Diego) Tributaries entering San Diego Bay are arranged from North to South:
Rivers that empty into the Gulf of California :
The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed valley near the Central Coast which drains into Soda Lake .
Rivers that empty into the Salton Sea :
Salt Creek
Dos Palmas Creek
Red Canyon Wash Box Canyon Wash
Whitewater River
North Fork Whitewater River
Middle Fork Whitewater River
South Fork Whitewater River
San Gorgonio River
Portrero Creek
Smith Creek
Hathaway Creek
Twin Pines Creek
One Horse Creek
Snow Creek
West Fork Snow Creek
East Fork Snow Creek
Falls Creek Garnet Wash
Mission Creek
North Fork Mission Creek
South Form Mission Creek
West Fork Mission Creek Morongo Wash
Dry Morongo Wash
Big Morongo Wash
Little Morongo Wash
Chino Canyon Wash Palm Canyon Wash
Cathedral Canyon Wash
Deep Canyon Stormwater Channel
Dead Indian Creek
Grape Vine Creek
Ebbens Creek
Carrizo Creek
Cat Creek
Ramon Creek
Deep Canyon Creek
Thousand Palm Canyon Wash Barton Canyon Wash
Alano Canyon Wash
Sheep Canyon Wash
Travertine Palms Wash
Garner Wash
Wonderstone Wash
Gravel Wash
Big Wash
Grave Wash
Coral Wash
Palm Wash
Anza Ditch
Arroyo Salada
Tule Wash
San Felipe Creek
New River
Alamo River Rivers in the Great Basin , arranged roughly north to south:
Honey Lake drainage basin Susan River
Willow Creek
Petes Creek
Balls Canyon
Snowstorm Creek
Secret Creek
Piute Creek
Willard Creek Skedaddle Creek
Long Valley Creek
Baxter Creek Pyramid Lake drainage basin Carson Sink drainage basin Rivers draining into saline and endorheic Mono Lake in eastern California, from north and proceeding counterclockwise:
Cottonwood Creek
Rancheria Gulch
Wilson Creek
Mill Creek
Deer Creek
South Fork Mill Creek
Dechambeau Creek
Lee Vining Creek
Beartrack Creek
Gibbs Canyon Creek
Warren Fork
Mine Creek
Saddlebag Creek Rush Creek
Walker Creek
Parker Creek
Alger Creek Reversed Creek
Crest Creek Dry Creek Owens Lake drainage basin Streams terminating in the Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park .
Salt Creek
Furnace Creek Wash
Emigrant Wash
Death Valley Wash
Amargosa River
Wingate Wash
Salt Creek (may carry overflow from the Mojave River basin in extremely wet years)Rock Valley Wash
Fortymile Wash Streams terminating in various dry lakes in the Antelope Valley and Fremont Valley (Koehn Lake , Rosamond Lake , Rogers Dry Lake and others), draining from the southeastern Tehachapi Mountains and northern San Gabriel Mountains , listed counterclockwise starting from north:
Cottonwood Creek
Cache Creek
Oak Creek
Cottonwood Creek
Pescado Creek
Los Alamos Creek
Amargosa Creek
Anaverde Creek
Little Rock Creek
South Fork Little Rock Creek Big Rock Creek
Pallett Creek
Sandrock Creek
South Fork Big Rock Creek
Mescal Creek
Le Montaine Creek Mojave River drainage basin
^ Klamath Resource Information System (KRIS), KRIS Humboldt Bay , URL retrieved November 11, 2007
^ Humboldt Bay Harbor District, Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Watershed Areas , URL retrieved November 12, 2007 Archived November 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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