Piru Creek - Misplaced Pages

Creek in Ventura County, California

Piru Creek Arroyo de Piruc, Arroyo Piru, Rio Peru
Piru Creek
Map of the Santa Clara River watershed, with the Piru Creek sub-watershed highlighted.
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Ventura County, Los Angeles County
City	Piru, California
Physical characteristics

Source	San Emigdio Mountains
• location	An unnamed spring, Ventura County, United States
• coordinates	34°38′12″N 119°12′11″W / 34.63667°N 119.20306°W / 34.63667; -119.20306
• elevation	5,200 ft (1,600 m)

Mouth	Santa Clara River
• location	Piru, Ventura County
• coordinates	34°23′56″N 118°47′08″W / 34.39889°N 118.78556°W / 34.39889; -118.78556
• elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Length	71 mi (114 km)
Basin size	497 sq mi (1,290 km)

Discharge
• location	Above Lake Piru
• average	68.2 cu ft/s (1.93 m/s)
• minimum	0 cu ft/s (0 m/s)
• maximum	40,000 cu ft/s (1,100 m/s)

Basin features
River system	Santa Clara River
Tributaries
• left	Sheep Creek (California), Lockwood Creek, Smith Fork Piru Creek, Osito Creek, Ruby Creek (California), Michael Creek
• right	Cedar Creek (California), Mutau Creek, Fish Creek (California), Turtle Creek (California), Agua Blanca Creek

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Type	Wild, Recreational
Designated	March 30, 2009

Piru Creek is a major stream, about 71 miles (114 km) long, in northern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It is a tributary of the Santa Clara River, the largest stream system in Southern California that is still relatively natural.

The creek drains an area of about 497 square miles (1,290 km), making it the Santa Clara River's biggest tributary in terms of watershed size. Most of the creek above Lake Piru is located in the Los Padres National Forest. There are two major reservoirs on Piru Creek, Lake Piru and Pyramid Lake, which respectively store water for local irrigation and the California State Water Project.

Course

Piru Creek originates as several small springs on the north side of Pine Mountain Ridge in the Santa Ynez Mountains, in the Los Padres National Forest. It flows eastwards through a gentle valley, where it is joined by Cedar Creek from the right. After the Cedar Creek confluence the stream turns northeast, receives Sheep Creek from the left, and Mutau Creek from the right. Piru Creek receives Lockwood Creek from the left at Sunset campground on Lockwood Flat, and flows east into a canyon where the valley walls pull in and rise steeper and higher above the river.

The Smith Fork of Piru Creek, with headwaters in the San Emigdio Mountains, comes in from the left about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Gorman. Piru Creek then turns sharply southeast and enters the Pyramid Lake reservoir impounded behind Pyramid Dam, which stores imported water from the West Branch of the California Aqueduct for Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Interstate 5 runs almost 1,000 feet (300 m) above the east side of the reservoir/former canyon.

Below Pyramid Dam, Piru Creek maintains a relatively constant flow due to releases of reservoir water. It turns south and flows through the Topatopa Mountains via the Piru Gorge and along old route of Hwy 99−Pyramid Dam Road, forming the boundary between Mount Pinos and Saugus Ranger Districts of the Los Padres National Forest and dropping over Piru Creek Falls.

The creek flows south, still along the route of old Hwy 99−Pyramid Dam Road and through Cherry Canyon, to Frenchman's Flat and the confluence with Osito Creek (left). The creek turns sharply to the west entering another gorge, then south through it where it receives from the right Fish Creek of the northeastern Cobblestone Mountain watershed, ephemeral Turtle Creek (right) and Michael Creek (left), and then from the right Agua Blanca Creek of the western and southern Cobblestone Mountain watershed. It crosses the boundary between Los Angeles County and Ventura County five times before leaving the Los Padres National Forest and being impounded behind Santa Felicia Dam in Lake Piru, the second reservoir on the creek.

Below this point the canyon widens and the creek becomes a wide gravelly wash. It reaches the Santa Clara River Valley at the town of Piru, and crosses under State Route 126 to join the Santa Clara River.

History

Thousands of years ago, Native Americans of the Chumash group lived in the area, but by 500 CE, their former territory along Piru Creek had been occupied by the Tataviam. It is believed that there were once up to 25 Native American villages on the creek, of which eight have been thoroughly studied.

Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portolá first traveled up the creek in 1769. In 1839, the Mexican government granted the 48,612-acre (19,673 ha) Rancho San Francisco to Antonio del Valle. The Rancho Camulos was created out of Rancho San Francisco land by Ygnacio del Valle in 1853, and included parts of the valleys of Piru Creek and the Santa Clara River.

In 1842, traces of gold were found on a nearby tributary of the Santa Clara River, Placerita Creek, drawing prospectors to the area. By the late 19th century, prospectors had discovered traces of calcite on Piru Creek in Lockwood Valley near Frazier Mountain, north of present-day Pyramid Lake. A town called Lexington was platted near the site in 1887 but was never actually developed.

In the 1880s borax was also mined in the upper Piru Creek watershed by the Frazier Borate Company. The Frazier Borate Company established the town of Stauffer in the late 1890s. In 1905 the town received its own post office. However, the mines closed soon afterward and the town went into decline, though it was not abandoned completely until 1942. The Russell Borate Mining Company also acquired land in the Piru Creek area in 1907. By 1912, the Russell mine was the only one left in operation. Ultimately, all the mines were abandoned because of competitions from borax operations in Death Valley.

Recreation

Trailhead at end of Piru Canyon Road, entrance to lower Piru Creek trails.

Hiking, camping, off-roading and rock climbing are some of the recreational opportunities in the Los Padres National Forest that surrounds much of the Piru's course.

One well-known trail follows Piru Creek through the lower part of Piru Gorge from Frenchman's Flat to the confluence with Fish Creek, and it is possible to continue all the way south from there to Lake Piru with much scrambling and wading. The entire hike can require more than two days to complete, and flooding from Piru Creek is a potential danger.

In the spring, the stretches of Piru Creek from Pyramid Lake to Lake Piru and from Santa Felicia Dam to the mouth are actually possible to raft and kayak. The 15-mile (24 km) first stretch has rapids up to Class IV and includes the challenging section known as Falls Gorge, while the calmer 4-mile (6.4 km) second reach has Class I-II rapids only. Controlled water releases from the two dams provide some regulation of the flow although an effort is made to simulate natural discharges. As a result, the section is usually only runnable after rainfall. From 0.5 miles (0.80 km) downstream of Pyramid Dam to the Los Angeles-Ventura County line, Piru Creek in various sections is designated a National Wild and Scenic River.

Fishing

At one time fishing along Piru Creek was a year-round activity. In the present day, the uppermost limit of natural fish spawning in the creek is below Pyramid Dam, where a cement culvert adjoining the remains of Highway 99 creates a 15-foot (4.6 m) waterfall.

Piru Creek was once a popular spot for both fly fishing and bait-casting anglers as it contained both wild and hatchery-raised rainbow trout, along with largemouth bass. The creek is no longer stocked with trout by the California Department of Fish and Game and, due to lack of enforcement from the California Department of Fish and Game, frequent poaching of fish from the creek has reduced both the trout and bass population.

Certain spots, posted as "catch and release" areas and restricted to fishing with barbless, artificial lures, are still somewhat active along a three-mile stretch of the creek from Pyramid Dam to Frenchman's Flat with the best conditions for fishing from January to April (limit of 5 fish per angler). The 900-foot (270 m) reach from Pyramid Dam to a small bridge downstream is closed to any fishing.

References

^ "Piru Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 2000-06-14. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
"USGS Gage#11109600 on Piru Creek above Lake Piru: Annual Water Data Report 2013" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1972–2013. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
"USGS Gage#11109600 on Piru Creek above Lake Piru: Annual Water Data Report 2013" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1972–2013. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
^ United States Geological Survey. "United States Geological Survey Topographic Maps". TopoQuest. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
^ USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
"The Definitive Guide to the Waterfalls of Southern and Central California", Chris Shaffer, 1997; ISBN 0971281424.
McIntosh, Ann; Ricketts, Conrad (2002). Trout Fishing Near American Cities. Stackpole Books. p. 329. ISBN 0-8117-2958-3. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
^ Worden, Leon (1996-01-24). "The real story of California's first gold discovery". Santa Clarita Valley History in Pictures. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
Triem, Judith P.; Stone, Mitch (1996). "Rancho Camulos: National register of Historic Places Nomination". San Buenaventura Research Associates. Santa Clarita Valley History in Pictures. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
^ Massey, Peter; Wilson, Jeanne (2006). Backcountry Adventures Southern California: The Ultimate Guide to the Backcountry for Anyone with a Sport Utility Vehicle. Adler Publishing. pp. 225–26. ISBN 1-930193-26-2.
Evans, James R.; Vredenburgh, Larry M. (1982). "Colemanite Deposits near Stauffer, Ventura County, California". History of Mojave Desert Mining. vredenburgh.org. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
Brennen, Christopher Earls. "Hike K4: Piru Gorge". Adventure Hikes and Canyoneering in the Southwest. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
"Piru Creek". Community Hiking Club. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
Schad, Jerry (2007-11-15). "Remote Piru Creek, in the Los Padres National Forest north of Los Angeles, offers a challenging wilderness experience". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
Schad, Jerry (2009). Afoot & Afield Los Angeles County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide (3 ed.). Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-499-6. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
"California whitewater - Piru Creek, Pyramid Lake to Lake Piru". RiverFacts. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
"California whitewater - Piru Creek, Lake Piru to Santa Clara River". RiverFacts. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
"Piru Creek - Pyramid Lake to Lake Piru (Middle Piru)". American Whitewater. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
"Piru Creek, California". National Wild and Scenic Rivers. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
"Pre-Stocking Evaluations - Public Water". California Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
"California game wardens are few and far between". California Fish and Game Wardens Association. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
"Habitat: Piru Creek". The Ecological Angler. Retrieved 2012-05-29.

External links

Protected areas of California

National Park System

Parks	Channel Islands Death Valley Joshua Tree Kings Canyon Lassen Volcanic Pinnacles Redwood Sequoia Yosemite
Preserves	Mojave
Monuments	Cabrillo Castle Mountains César E. Chávez Devils Postpile Lava Beds Muir Woods Tule Lake
Seashores	Point Reyes
Historical Parks	Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front San Francisco Maritime
Historic Sites	Eugene O'Neill Fort Point John Muir Manzanar
Memorials	Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Recreation Areas	Golden Gate Santa Monica Mountains Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity

California State Parks

Parks	Ahjumawi Lava Springs Andrew Molera Angel Island Año Nuevo Anza-Borrego Desert Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland Bidwell–Sacramento River Big Basin Redwoods Border Field Bothe-Napa Valley Burton Creek Butano Calaveras Big Trees Castle Crags Castle Rock Caswell Memorial China Camp Chino Hills Clear Lake Coast Dairies Crystal Cove Cuyamaca Rancho D. L. Bliss Del Norte Coast Redwoods Donner Memorial Dos Rios Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point Emerald Bay The Forest of Nisene Marks Fort Ord Dunes Fremont Peak Garrapata Gaviota Great Valley Grasslands Grizzly Creek Redwoods Grover Hot Springs Hearst San Simeon Hendy Woods Henry Cowell Redwoods Henry W. Coe Humboldt Lagoons Humboldt Redwoods Jedediah Smith Redwoods Julia Pfeiffer Burns Leo Carrillo Limekiln MacKerricher Malibu Creek Manchester McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial McLaughlin Eastshore Mendocino Headlands Mendocino Woodlands Montaña de Oro Morro Bay Mount Diablo Mount San Jacinto Mount Tamalpais Navarro River Redwoods Pacheco Palomar Mountain Pfeiffer Big Sur Placerita Canyon Plumas-Eureka Point Mugu Portola Redwoods Prairie Creek Redwoods Red Rock Canyon Richardson Grove Rio de Los Angeles Robert Louis Stevenson Russian Gulch Saddleback Butte Salt Point Samuel P. Taylor San Bruno Mountain Sinkyone Wilderness South Yuba River Sue-meg Sugarloaf Ridge Sutter Buttes Tolowa Dunes Tomales Bay Topanga Trione-Annadel Van Damme Washoe Meadows Wilder Ranch
Natural Reserves	Antelope Valley California Poppy Armstrong Redwoods Azalea Caspar Headlands John B. Dewitt Redwoods John Little Jug Handle Kruse Rhododendron Los Osos Oaks Mailliard Redwoods Mono Lake Tufa Montgomery Woods Point Lobos Smithe Redwoods Torrey Pines Tule Elk
Marine Reserves	Albany Anacapa Island SMR Asilomar Begg Rock Big Creek Bodega Head Cabrillo Carmel Pinnacles Carrington Point Del Mar Landing Elkhorn Slough Emeryville Crescent Estero de Limantour and Drakes Estero Fitzgerald Gerstle Cove Gull Island Harris Point Judith Rock Laguna Beach Long Point Lovers Point Montara and Pillar Point Moro Cojo Slough Morro Bay Natural Bridges Piedras Blancas Point Arena Point Buchon Point Cabrillo Point Dume Point Lobos Point Reyes Point Sur Richardson Rock Russian River Santa Barbara Island Scorpion Sea Lion Gulch Skunk Point South Cape Mendocino Stewarts Point Vandenberg
Historic Parks	Anderson Marsh Antelope Valley Indian Museum Bale Grist Mill Benicia Capitol Bidwell Mansion Bodie California Citrus California State Indian Museum Chumash Painted Cave Colonel Allensworth Columbia El Presidio de Santa Barbara Empire Mine Folsom Powerhouse Fort Humboldt Fort Ross Fort Tejon Governor's Mansion Hearst Castle Indian Grinding Rock Jack London La Purísima Mission Leland Stanford Mansion Los Angeles Los Encinos Malakoff Diggins Marconi Conference Center Marsh Creek Marshall Gold Discovery Monterey Old Sacramento Old Town San Diego Olompali Pigeon Point Light Station Pío Pico Point Sur Railtown 1897 Rancho Petaluma Adobe San Juan Bautista San Pasqual Battlefield Santa Cruz Mission Santa Susana Pass Shasta Sonoma Sutter's Fort Tomo-Kahni Wassama Round House Watts Towers Weaverville Joss House Will Rogers William B. Ide Adobe Woodland Opera House
Beaches	Asilomar Bean Hollow Bolsa Chica Cardiff Carlsbad Carmel River Carpinteria Caspar Headlands Cayucos Corona del Mar Crown Memorial Dockweiler Doheny El Capitán Emma Wood Gray Whale Cove Greenwood Half Moon Bay Huntington Leucadia Lighthouse Field Little River Malibu Lagoon Mandalay Manresa Marina McGrath Montara Monterey Moonlight Morro Strand Moss Landing Natural Bridges New Brighton Pacifica Pelican Pescadero Pismo Point Dume Point Sal Pomponio Refugio Robert H. Meyer Memorial Salinas River San Buenaventura San Clemente San Elijo San Gregorio San Onofre Santa Monica Schooner Gulch Seacliff Silver Strand Sonoma Coast South Carlsbad Sunset Thornton Torrey Pines Trinidad Twin Lakes Westport-Union Landing Will Rogers William Randolph Hearst Memorial Zmudowski
Recreation Areas	Admiral William Standley Auburn Austin Creek Benbow Benicia Bethany Reservoir Brannan Island Candlestick Point Castaic Lake Colusa-Sacramento River Folsom Lake Franks Tract George J. Hatfield Harry A. Merlo Kenneth Hahn Kings Beach Lake Del Valle Lake Oroville Lake Perris Lake Valley Martial Cottle McConnell Millerton Lake Picacho Providence Mountains Salton Sea San Luis Reservoir Silverwood Lake Standish-Hickey Tahoe Turlock Lake Woodson Bridge
Vehicular Recreation Areas	Carnegie Clay Pit Heber Dunes Hollister Hills Hungry Valley Oceano Dunes Ocotillo Wells Prairie City
Other	Burleigh H. Murray Ranch California State Capitol Museum California State Mining and Mineral Museum California State Railroad Museum Castro Adobe Delta Meadows Estero Bay Hatton Canyon Indio Hills Palms Point Cabrillo Light Ishxenta State Park Point Montara Light Reynolds Wayside Campground San Timoteo Canyon Stone Lake Verdugo Mountains Ward Creek Wildwood Canyon

National Forests and Grasslands

National Forests and Grasslands	Angeles Butte Valley NG Cleveland Eldorado Humboldt–Toiyabe Inyo Klamath Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Los Padres Mendocino Modoc Plumas Rogue River–Siskiyou San Bernardino Sequoia Shasta–Trinity Sierra Six Rivers Stanislaus Tahoe
National Wilderness Preservation System	Agua Tibia Ansel Adams Bucks Lake Caribou Carson–Iceberg Castle Crags Cucamonga Desolation Dick Smith Dinkey Lakes Emigrant Golden Trout Hoover Inyo Mountains Ishi Jennie Lakes John Muir Kaiser Marble Mountain Mokelumne Mount Lassic Mount Shasta North Fork Pine Creek San Gabriel San Jacinto San Rafael Sanhedrin Sespe Siskiyou Snow Mountain South Fork Eel River South Sierra South Warner Thousand Lakes Trinity Alps Ventana Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Yuki
National Monuments and Recreation Areas	Giant Sequoia National Monument San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Sand to Snow National Monument Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Smith River National Recreation Area Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area

State Forests
Boggs Mountain Demonstration Ellen Pickett Jackson Demonstration Las Posadas LaTour Demonstration Mount Zion Demonstration Mountain Home Demonstration Soquel Demonstration

National Wildlife Refuges

State Wildlife Areas

Wildlife Areas	Antelope Valley Ash Creek Bass Hill Battle Creek Big Lagoon Big Sandy Biscar Butte Valley Buttermilk Country Cache Creek Camp Cady Cantara/Ney Springs Cedar Roughs Cinder Flats Collins Eddy Colusa Bypass Coon Hollow Cottonwood Creek Crescent City Marsh Crocker Meadows Daugherty Hill Decker Island Doyle Dutch Flat Eastlker River Eel River Elk Creek Wetlands Elk River Fay Slough Feather River Fitzhugh Creek Fremont Weir Grass Lake Gray Lodge Green Creek Grizzly Island Hallelujah Junction Heenan Lake Hill Slough Hollenbeck Canyon Honey Lake Hope Valley Horseshoe Ranch Imperial Indian Valley Kelso Peak and Old Dad Mountains Kinsman Flat Knoxville Laguna Lake Berryessa Lake Earl Lake Sonoma Little Panoche Reservoir Los Banos Lower Sherman Island Mad River Slough Marble Mountains Mendota Merrill's Landing Miner Slough Monache Meadows Morro Bay Moss Landing Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Napa-Sonoma Marshes North Grasslands O'Neill Forebay Oroville Petaluma Marsh Pickel Meadow Pine Creek Point Edith Putah Creek Rector Reservoir Red Lake Rhode Island Sacramento River San Felipe Valley San Jacinto San Luis Obispo San Luis Reservoir San Pablo Bay Santa Rosa Shasta Valley Silver Creek Slinkard/Little Antelope Smithneck Creek South Fork Spenceville Surprise Valley Sutter Bypass Tehama Truckee River Upper Butte Basin Volta Warner Valley Waukell Creek West Hilmar Westlker River White Slough Willow Creek Yolo Bypass
Ecological Reserves	Albany Mudflats Alkali Sink Allensworth Atascadero Creek Marsh Bair Island Baldwin Lake Batiquitos Lagoon Blue Sky Boden Canyon Boggs Lake Bolsa Chica Bonny Doon Buena Vista Lagoon Butler Slough Butte Creek Canyon Butte Creek House Buttonwillow By Day Creek Calhoun Cut Canebrake Carlsbad Highlands Carmel Bay Carrizo Canyon Carrizo Plains China Point Clover Creek Coachella Valley Coal Canyon Corte Madera Marsh Crestridge Dairy Mart Ponds Dales Lake Del Mar Landing Eden Landing Elkhorn Slough Estelle Mountain Fall River Mills Fish Slough Fremont Valley Goleta Slough Indian Joe Spring Kaweah Kerman King Clone Laguna Laurel Loch Lomond Vernal Pool Lokern Magnesia Spring Marin Islands Mattole River McGinty Mountain Morro Dunes Morro Rock Napa River North Table Mountain Oasis Spring Panoche Hills Peytonia Slough Phoenix Vernal Pools Pine Hill Piute Creek Pleasant Valley Rancho Jamul Redwood Shores River Springs Lakes Saline Valley San Dieguito Lagoon San Elijo Lagoon San Felipe Creek San Joaquin River Santa Rosa Plateau Springville Stone Corral Sycamore Canyon Sycuan Peak Thomes Creek Tomales Bay Upper Newport Bay Watsonville Slough West Mojave Desert Woodbridge Yaudanchi
Marine Protected Areas	Abalone Cove and Point Vicente Anacapa Island SMCA Año Nuevo Arrow Point to Lion Head Point Batiquitos Lagoon Big Creek Bodega Head Bolsa Chica Cambria Campus Point Carmel Bay Cat Harbor Crystal Cove Dana Point Duxbury Reef Edward F. Ricketts Elkhorn Slough Estero Americano Estero de Limantour and Drakes Estero Estero de San Antonio Fagan Marsh Famosa Slough Farnsworth Onshore and Offshore Goleta Slough Greyhound Rock Lovers Cove and Casino Point MacKerricher Marin Islands Morro Bay Naples Pacific Grove Marine Gardens Painted Cave Piedras Blancas Point Arena Point Buchon Point Dume Point Reyes Point Sur Portuguese Ledge Pyramid Point Robert E. Badham Robert W. Crown Russian Gulch Russian River Salt Point San Diego-Scripps San Dieguito Lagoon San Elijo Lagoon Saunders Reef Sea Lion Cove Sonoma Coast Soquel Canyon South La Jolla South Point Southeast Farallon Island Stewarts Point Swami's Tijuana River Mouth Upper Newport Bay Van Damme Vandenberg White Rock (Cambria)

Bureau of Land Management National Conservation Lands

National Monuments	Berryessa Snow Mountain California Coastal Carrizo Plain Cascade–Siskiyou Fort Ord Mojave Trails Sand to Snow Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains
National Conservation Areas	California Desert King Range
Wilderness Areas	Argus Range Big Maria Mountains Bigelow Cholla Garden Bighorn Mountain Black Mountain Bright Star Bristol Mountains Cadiz Dunes Carrizo Gorge Chanchelulla Chemehuevi Mountains Chimney Peak Chuckwalla Mountains Chumash Cleghorn Lakes Clipper Mountain Coso Range Coyote Mountains Darwin Falls Dead Mountains Dick Smith El Paso Mountains Fish Creek Mountains Funeral Mountains Garcia Golden Valley Grass Valley Headwaters Forest Reserve Hollow Hills Ibex Indian Pass Inyo Mountains Jacumba Kelso Dunes Kiavah Kingston Range Little Chuckwalla Mountains Little Picacho Machesna Mountain Malpais Mesa Manly Peak Matilija Mecca Hills Mesquite Newberry Mountains Nopah Range North Algodones Dunes North Mesquite Mountains Old Woman Mountains Orocopia Mountains Otay Mountain Owens Peak Pahrump Valley Palen/McCoy Palo Verde Mountains Picacho Peak Piper Mountain Piute Mountains Red Buttes Resting Spring Range Rice Valley Riverside Mountains Rodman Mountains Sacatar Trail Saddle Peak Hills San Gorgonio Santa Lucia Santa Rosa Sawtooth Mountains Sespe Sheephole Valley South Nopah Range Stateline Stepladder Mountains Surprise Canyon Sylvania Mountains Trilobite Turtle Mountains Whipple Mountains

National Marine Sanctuaries
Channel Islands Chumash Heritage Cordell Bank Greater Farallones Monterey Bay

National Estuarine Research Reserves
Elkhorn Slough San Francisco Bay Tijuana River

University of California Natural Reserve System

Private Conservation Land Trusts

Heritage registers: National Natural Landmarks

v t e Federal protected areas in the United States
Conservation Areas Estuarine Research Reserves Forests Grasslands Historical parks Lakeshores and seashores Marine Sanctuaries Monuments Natural Landmarks Outstanding Natural Area Parks Parkways Preserves Recreation Areas Research Natural Areas Rivers Scenic Areas Scenic Trails Wild and Scenic Rivers Wilderness Areas Wilderness Study Areas Wildlife Refuges

v t e Santa Clara River Watershed
Tributaries	Castaic Creek Piru Creek San Francisquito Creek Sespe Creek
Communities	Acton Agua Dulce Bardsdale Castaic Castaic Junction El Rio Elizabeth Lake Fillmore Green Valley Lake Hughes Oxnard Piru Sand Canyon Santa Clarita Santa Paula Saticoy Stevenson Ranch Val Verde Valencia Ventura
Landmarks	Angeles National Forest Bouquet Reservoir California State Route 126 Castaic Lake Castaic Lake State Recreation Area Dry Canyon Reservoir Elizabeth Lake Hughes Lake Lake Piru Los Angeles Aqueduct Los Padres National Forest McGrath State Beach Mentryville Mint Canyon Formation Munz Lakes Oxnard Plain Placerita Canyon State Park Pyramid Dam Pyramid Lake Rancho Camulos Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia Rancho San Francisco Rancho Santa Clara del Norte Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy Rancho Sespe Santa Clara River Trail Santa Clara River Valley Santa Clarita Valley San Emigdio Mountains San Francisquito Canyon St. Francis Dam San Gabriel Mountains Santa Susana Mountains Saticoy Oil Field Sespe Wilderness Sierra Madre Mountains Sierra Pelona Ridge Six Flags Magic Mountain Soledad Canyon Topatopa Mountains Vasquez Rocks

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