The Clavey River is a tributary of the

Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River ( Yokutsan: ''Tawalimnu'') flows for through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne ...

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 primarily ...

, located in the

Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...

and

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

. The river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed March 11, 2011 and is one of the few undammed rivers on the western slope of the Sierra. Via the Tuolumne River, the Clavey is part of the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...

watershed.

Geography

The headwaters of the Clavey are located in the

Emigrant Wilderness The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 ...

of the Stanislaus National Forest, at the confluence of Bell Creek and Lily Creek about south of Pinecrest. The river flows mostly north-south, which is rare for streams in the western Sierra, which generally flow from east to west. Shortly downstream, it receives Rock Creek from the left, then Trout Creek from the right, and is crossed by Forest Route 3N01 about above the mouth. It receives Twomile and Cottonwood Creeks from the right, then Reed Creek, its largest tributary, from the left about from the mouth. Between Twomile and Cottonwood Creeks there is a concrete bridge carrying Forest Route 1N04. The Clavey receives Bear Springs Creek and Quilty Creek from the right before reaching a final bridge that carries Forest Route 1N01. Below this point the Clavey flows through a rugged canyon inaccessible except by boat. It makes a sweeping right-hand turn to the west at Jawbone Ridge about from its confluence with the Tuolumne River. The confluence, about upstream from Lake Don Pedro, is marked by a dramatic rapid on the Tuolumne called Clavey Falls.

Features

Clavey Falls provides a thrilling landmark to rafters and kayakers heading downstream. The river has notable swimming holes eroded into the granitic Sierra bedrock. The Clavey is special because it has some of the highest biotic integrity of any river in California, remaining in relatively good flora/fauna/ecological condition. This river is unique because it still harbors a pre-glacial remnant population of

coastal rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal ...

Conservation

The Clavey River is one of the few undammed rivers in California, despite the many attempts to do so by the Turlock Irrigation District. A multi-stakeholder group known as the Clavey River Ecosystem Project (CREP) is currently developing a baseline study and recommendations for the preservation of the Clavey.

References

External links

Clavey River Ecosystem ProjectTuolumne River TrustClavey River information from Friends of the RiverLocalHS.com: Scouting Out Clavey River
{{Central Valley Rivers Tuolumne River Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Rivers of Tuolumne County, California Stanislaus National Forest Tributaries of the San Joaquin River Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California

Geography

Features

Conservation

See also

References

External links