tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the ti ...
, long, in
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is locat ...
.
Course
The source of Deep Creek is at an elevation of , at the head of Little Green Valley in the
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...
. It initially flows southwest, through the communities of Arrowbear and
Running Springs
Running Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 5,268 at the 2020 census, up from 4,862 at the 2010 census. Running Springs is situated 17 miles west of the city of Big Bea ...
, before turning north. It is joined by Hooks Creek from the west; a dam on Little Bear Creek, a tributary of Hooks Creek, forms Lake Arrowhead. A short distance downstream is Aztec Falls, a popular swimming area at a waterfall along Deep Creek.
The creek continues north, at the bottom of a deep gorge through mountainous wilderness, receiving Holcomb Creek and Coxey Creek from the right before turning west, forming a canyon between the San Bernardino Mountains and Ord Mountains. The
Deep Creek Hot Springs
Deep Creek Hot Springs, DCHS, are natural hot springs located in the northern Mojave Desert section of the San Bernardino National Forest, near Hesperia in San Bernardino County, Southern California.
Geography
The springs are in the rain s ...
are located along the stream where it turns to the west. The
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
follows the Deep Creek canyon for , from the confluence of Hooks Creek to the mouth.
Deep Creek ends at its confluence with the
West Fork Mojave River
West Fork Mojave River is a tributary stream of the Mojave River in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. Its mouth lies at an elevation of at its confluence with Deep Creek, together the source of the Mojave River. ...
forming the Mojave River, at an elevation of . The confluence is located southeast of Hesperia, directly behind Mojave Forks Dam, a flood-control structure built in 1974.
Drainage basin
The Deep Creek drainage basin is in size. Most of the drainage basin is located in the
San Bernardino National Forest
The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California encompassing of which are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernar ...
. For most of its length it is a remote, swift-flowing mountain stream, with a riverbed characterized by "deep pools and boulder strewn reaches". Deep Creek derives most of its water from snowmelt in the winter and spring, and has very low flows in autumn. The creek is also prone to
flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
ing in the summer due to monsoon storms.
Deep Creek is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the San Bernardino National Forest. At lower elevations, where the drainage approaches the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...
, the dominant vegetation type is
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...
, and
creosote bush
''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush, greasewood, and chaparral is a medicinal herb. In Sonora, it is more commonly called ''hediondilla''; Spanish ''hediondo'' = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific ...
,
chamise
''Adenostoma fasciculatum'', commonly known as chamise or greasewood, is a flowering plant native to California and Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the California chaparral ecoregion. Chamise produces a specia ...
and
California buckwheat
''Eriogonum fasciculatum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows vari ...
are common. At middle elevations
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
and pinyon-juniper woodland are common, with mixed conifer forests in the highest elevations. The endangered southwestern arroyo toad is found in the lower part of Deep Creek.
The creek is designated a Wild Trout Stream by the state of California, and is home to populations of
rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
and
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of California
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.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay t ...
References
{{reflist
Deep Creek (Mojave River)
Deep Creek is a tributary of the Mojave River, long, in San Bernardino County, California.
Course
The source of Deep Creek is at an elevation of , at the head of Little Green Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains. It initially flows southwest ...
Deep Creek (Mojave River)
Deep Creek is a tributary of the Mojave River, long, in San Bernardino County, California.
Course
The source of Deep Creek is at an elevation of , at the head of Little Green Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains. It initially flows southwest ...
Deep Creek (Mojave River)
Deep Creek is a tributary of the Mojave River, long, in San Bernardino County, California.
Course
The source of Deep Creek is at an elevation of , at the head of Little Green Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains. It initially flows southwest ...