
Churn Creek is a
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
Fraser River
The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
.
Course
Churn Creek flows generally north before turning northeast on its final leg through grasslands, joining the Fraser River just south of the headquarters of the
Gang Ranch and opposite the community of
Dog Creek and
associated creek. Most of its lower course is a heavily-eroded canyon lined by benchlands, and is protected in
Churn Creek Protected Area, which also includes the ecological preserve of the
Empire Valley Ranch.
Its source at approximately is at two subalpine lakes (one of which is called Horse Lake) on the northeastern shoulder of
Big Dog Mountain, the northernmost major summit of the
Shulaps Range, and flowing north and northwesterly until reaching the southern skirt of
Poison Mountain, a northeastern outpost of the Camelsfoot Range, where it continues northwesterly, forming a divide with a small upper tributary of the
Yalakom River, the main north fork of the
Bridge River which divides those two ranges. From there it proceeds northwest, falling steeply from the high plateau between those two ranges, joining at the bottom of that grade with an unnamed creek from
Swartz (Fish) Lake, one a chain of lakes in the area of the
Mud Lakes Pass, at the divide with the basin of
Tyaughton Creek, also a tributary of the
Bridge River. From there it turns north in its main trajectory, forming the northwestern flank of the northern
Camelsfoot Range
The Camelsfoot Range is a sub-range of the Chilcotin Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. The Fraser River forms its eastern boundary. The range is approximately 90 km at its maximum length ...
. It is joined in its upper reaches by its two main left tributaries,
Lone Valley Creek and
Dash Creek, which drain the southernmost
Chilcotin Plateau just north of the edge of the
Chilcotin Ranges and the
Spruce Lake Protected Area (now known as the South Chilcotin Mountain Park, created in 2010, which consists of a smaller area than the original Protected Area).
See also
*
Dash Creek
*
Lone Valley Creek
*
Big Creek Provincial Park
*
Hungry Valley Creek
*
List of rivers of British Columbia
References
{{authority control
Tributaries of the Fraser River
Rivers of British Columbia
Lillooet Land District