Big Kimshew Creek is a stream in

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, some long. It flows generally SSW from its

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

in the

Lassen National Forest Lassen National Forest is a United States national forest of 1,700 square miles (4,300 km2) in northeastern California. It is named after pioneer Peter Lassen, who mined, ranched and promoted the area to emigrant parties in the 1850s. Wildli ...

of 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 primarily ...

into the

West Branch Feather River The West Branch (or West Fork) Feather River is a Lake Oroville Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated northeast of the city ...

, a tributary of the

Feather River The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is just over . The main stem Feather R ...

, a major Northern California river system. The creek is known for its

whitewater rapids Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

and

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s. Its

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

fluctuates dramatically between spring snowmelt and the autumn, ranging from .

Geography

The creek rises in a meadow 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Table Mountain in the southern extreme of the national forest. It flows south into a gorge, receiving Keyser Creek from the right, and Little Kimshew Creek from the left shortly after. At the Little Kimshew confluence it turns west, then again southwest, through a valley over deep. It is joined by Little Rock Creek just above the confluence with the West Branch Feather. The creek's mouth is situated about south of Stirling City.

External links

ACME Mapper - ''Big Kimshew Creek''American Whitewater: Big Kimshew Creek
Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Rivers of Butte County, California Tributaries of the Feather River Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California {{California-river-stub