Deep Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainage ...

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 time, ...

, long, in

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the ...

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 Bear ...

, 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 Ord Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of southern California, USA. The range lies in a generally east–west direction, and reaches an elevation of above sea level at East Ord Mountain. The range is approximately long, and is about ...

. 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 sh ...

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 2,986 feet / 910 meters at its confluence with Deep Creek, together the sour ...

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 Bernard ...

. 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 or snow flowing o ...

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 ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

, the dominant vegetation type is

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

, and

creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of n ...

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 tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and pinyon-juniper woodland are common, with mixed conifer forests in the highest elevations. The endangered southwestern

arroyo toad The arroyo toad (''Anaxyrus californicus'') is a species of true toads in the family Bufonidae, endemic to California (U.S.) and Baja California state (México). It is currently classified as an Endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threate ...

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 a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

References

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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 southwes ...

Rivers of Southern California Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States

Course

Drainage basin

See also

References