Mark West Creek is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 9, 2011 stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
that rises in the
Mayacamas Mountains
The Mayacamas Mountains are located in northwestern California in the United States. The mountain range is part of the Northern Inner Coast Ranges, of the California Coast Ranges System.
Geography
The Mayacamas Mountains are located south of the ...
of
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...
, United States. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include
Porter Creek and
Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the
Russian River after a confluence with the
Laguna de Santa Rosa
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a wetland complex that drains a watershed encompassing most of the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County, California, United States.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eat ...
. The Community Clean Water Institute has developed a program for monitoring
pollutant
A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oi ...
s in Mark West Creek.
The four-mile stretch of Mark West Creek from Mark West Lodge to Mark West Creek Road is a challenging class III-V
whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...
run.
California whitewater - Mark West Creek, Sonoma County
/ref>
Course
Mark West Creek originates about west of St. Helena, California
St. Helena ( ; Wappo language, Wappo: ''Anakotanoma'') is a city in Napa County, California, Napa County, in the Wine Country of California. Located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the ...
near St. Helena Road. The road goes along the Creek westward to Calistoga Road, where the Creek turns northeast, flowing through the town of Mark West Springs
Mark West Springs is set of springs in eastern Santa Rosa, California that were used as a resort since 1880 and perhaps earlier.
Mark West Springs is located on Porter Creek Road in the Mayacamas Mountains. Mark West Creek flows through the com ...
. From there, it descends southward. Mark West Springs Road was built next to it. The Creek passes Mayacama Golf Club and turns westward, emerging from hills east of the Sonoma County Airport
Sonoma may refer to:
* ''Sonoma'' (beetle), a genus of beetles
* Sonoma County, California, a county in northern California in the United States
** Sonoma, California, the city for which the county is named
** Sonoma Valley, the region in Sonoma ...
. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a regi ...
and later U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
were built over it south of Airport Boulevard and the Creek continues generally westward, passing south of the airport to join the Laguna de Santa Rosa east of Forestville. From there, the Creek flows north to a confluence with Windsor Creek, and then flows westward, entering the Russian River east of Steelhead Beach Regional Park.
Near the Laguna de Santa Rosa confluence, Mark West Creek has been diverted southward in three separate places, making it appear that the Creek feeds the Laguna instead of vice versa. Since 1988, the Creek length between the Laguna de Santa Rosa and the Russian River has often been considered part of the Laguna. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation has promoted this nomenclature.
Watershed
The Mark West Creek drainage basin covers a large portion of Sonoma County, from Mount Saint Helena
Mount Saint Helena (Wappo: Kanamota, "Human Mountain") is a peak in the Mayacamas Mountains with flanks in Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties of California. Composed of uplifted 2.4-million-year-old volcanic rocks from the Clear Lake Volcanic Fiel ...
and Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At an elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east. In fact, ...
in the east to Forestville in the west. It includes four cities (Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose.
Santa Rosa may also refer to:
Places Argentina
*Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city
* Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, La Pampa
* S ...
, Rohnert Park
Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States Census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in ...
, Sebastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
, and Cotati) and the incorporated town of Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. Adjacent watersheds include those of Green Valley Creek
Green Valley Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 9, 2011 stream in Sonoma County, California, United States, which springs from the hills above the Bohemian ...
, Petaluma River
The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough for most of its length. The headwaters are in the area southwest of Cotati. The flow is generally southward through Petaluma's old town, ...
, Sonoma Creek
, name_etymology =
, image = Beaver Dam Sonoma Creek, Sonoma Thanksgiving 2009.jpg
, image_caption = Beaver dam on Sonoma Creek at Maxwell Farms Regional Park in Sonoma, California, 2009
, image_size = 300
, ma ...
, the Napa River
The Napa River is a river approximately long in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region called the Napa Valley, in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay. Milliken Creek and Mt. Veeder watersheds are a few ...
, and the Russian River.
See also
*List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
These watercourses (rivers, creeks, sloughs, etc.) in the San Francisco Bay Area are grouped according to the bodies of water they flow into. Tributaries are listed under the watercourses they feed, sorted by the elevation of the confluence so tha ...
Footnotes
External links
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Friends of Mark West Watershed non-profit
{{Mayacamas Mountains
Rivers of Sonoma County, California
Mayacamas Mountains
Tributaries of the Russian River (California)
St. Helena, California
Rivers of Northern California