The Rubicon River is a major tributary of the

Middle Fork American River The Middle Fork American River is one of three forks that form the American River in Northern California. It drains a large watershed in the high Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe and northeast of Sacramento in Placer and El Dorado Counties, be ...

in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

, west of

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

. Its length is with a

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of about . The river's headwaters are in the

Crystal Range The Crystal Range is a small chain of mountain peaks in the Desolation Wilderness in the U.S. state of California. It is a subrange of the Sierra Nevada. The highest and most southerly peak is Pyramid Peak at 9985 ft; Mount Agassiz is next ...

of the Sierra Nevada, within the

Eldorado National Forest Eldorado National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California. Geography Most of the forest (72.8%) lies in El Dorado County. In descending order of land area the others countie ...

Desolation Wilderness The Desolation Wilderness is a federally protected wilderness area in the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in El Dorado County, California. The crest of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada runs through it, just ...

. Historically, the Rubicon River was known as the South Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River.

Headwaters

The Rubicon River originates at near Clyde Lake in

El Dorado County El Dorado County (; ''El Dorado'', Spanish language, Spanish for "The Golden ne), officially the County of El Dorado, is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. It flows north-northwest for approximately until it reaches Rubicon Reservoir. The river then travels northwest and within of the Rubicon Reservoir is met by Highland Creek, Miller Creek, and the Little Rubicon River. It continues northwest for approximately to Hell Hole Reservoir. Shortly after the river begins flowing southwest from the reservoir, it serves as a border between El Dorado and Placer Counties, and joins the South Fork of the Rubicon River.

South Fork

The South Fork of the Rubicon River originates about a mile southeast of Loon Lake. It flows southwest for several miles until it is joined by Gerle Creek, and then travels west to its confluence with the Rubicon River. The river slowly changes course and eventually heads northwest again, finally, joining the Middle Fork of the American River about northeast of Auburn. The Middle Fork meets the North Fork of the American River in the

Auburn State Recreation Area Auburn State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, along of the North and Middle Forks of the American River. The state recreation area (SRA) is situated on the border of Placer and El Dorado Counties in the heart of historic Go ...

below the

Foresthill Foresthill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento– Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,692 at the 2020 census, up from 1,483 ...

Bridge, and flows into

Folsom Lake Folsom Lake is a reservoir on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, United States. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, which encompasses the lake, is one of the most visited parks in the California park system. Locate ...

. The reservoirs and trails along the Rubicon River are recreation areas, managed primarily by the

References

*http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
(PDF)

{{Coord, 39.0027, -120.7320, display=title American River (California) Rivers of El Dorado County, California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Eldorado National Forest Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California