The San Luis Rey River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in northern
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
.
The river's headwaters are in the
Palomar Mountain Range
Palomar Mountain ( ; es, Monte Palomar ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.
Hist ...
and
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
, near
Palomar Mountain
Palomar Mountain ( ; es, Monte Palomar ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.
Histo ...
and the
Santa Rosa Mountains. The
river mouth
A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/ gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carr ...
, on the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
, is in northern
Oceanside. The
San Luis Rey River bike path runs along it for its last .
The river is over long
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed March 16, 2011 and drains . There is little water in the river during most of the year, but it can have very large flows during winter storms.
Course
The San Luis Rey River rises in two main branches. The mainstem starts east of Rocky Mountain in the
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
and flows generally south-southwest. The West Fork's headwaters rise as a pair of tiny streams, Fry Creek and Iron Springs Creek, just to the north of
Palomar Mountain
Palomar Mountain ( ; es, Monte Palomar ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.
Histo ...
. These two streams combine into the West Fork, which flows southeast through the Mendenhall Valley. The West Fork joins the main stem at
Lake Henshaw, a reservoir formed by a dam across the main stem San Luis Rey River.
From the base of Henshaw Dam, the river winds west along the foot of the Palomars, followed by
California State Route 76
State Route 76 (SR 76) is a state highway long in the U.S. state of California. It is a much used east–west route in the North County region of San Diego County that begins in Oceanside near Interstate 5 (I-5) and continues east. T ...
. It then bends southwest into a gorge. It leaves the canyon at the wide and spacious
Pauma Valley, where it becomes a wash surrounded on both sides by agricultural fields. Potrero and Pauma Creeks enter from the right, then Frey Creek and Agua Tibia Creek as the river travels northwest. The river turns west, passing
Pala, flowing through a patchwork of privately owned, government-owned and Native American lands. It then crosses under
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...
and exits the foothills of the mountains near
Bonsall.
After passing Bonsall the river flows generally southwest, through the city of
Oceanside. Although usually dry up to this point the river starts to contain water as it nears the mouth, both from seeps and from tidal activity that forms a
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'' ...
at the mouth of the river. The San Luis Rey empties into the Pacific north of Oceanside, about south of the
Santa Margarita River and about north of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
.
Water resources
The dam that forms
Lake Henshaw is the only one directly on the river itself. However, tributaries in the river's
watershed are extensively dammed. The San Luis Rey River has natural
river bank
Riverbank or river bank may refer to:
*Bank (geography), the bank of a river
Places
* Riverbank, California
*Riverbank, former name of Bryte, California
Enterprises and organizations
* Riverbank Academy, a special school in Coventry, England
* ...
s, except for the last where it flows through a earthen channel with
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastli ...
s to prevent
stormwater
Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation ( storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...
from
flooding
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
Oceanside.
Urbanization, mining, and agriculture have caused substantial deterioration of
water quality
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through t ...
in the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. Since Lake Henshaw is relatively close to the headwaters, it is a source of
drinking water
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...
. However, the water in the lower reaches of the river is used for
groundwater recharge
Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs ...
only. A bridge was completed across the river near its mouth in 2009, replacing a small causeway that washed away in storms.
History
The river was within the homeland of the
Luiseño people
The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of ...
, or ''Payómkawichum'' meaning "People of the West" in the
Luiseño language
The Luiseño language is a Uto-Aztecan language of California spoken by the Luiseño, a Native American people who at the time of first contact with the Spanish in the 16th century inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging f ...
, for many centuries before Spanish settlers occupied their ancestral lands. They are a southern tribe of the
indigenous peoples of California
The indigenous peoples of California (known as Native Californians) are the indigenous inhabitants who have lived or currently live in the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans. ...
.
The first European land exploration of
Alta California
Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
, the Spanish
Portolà expedition, stopped at the river not far from the coast for two nights on its way north, July 18–19, 1769. On the return journey to the new pueblo of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, the party again camped near the river on January 22, 1770.
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
missionary
Juan Crespi
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
noted in his diary, "...we descended to a large and beautiful valley, so green that it seemed to us that it had been planted. We crossed it straight to the north and pitched camp near a large pool of water, one of several in the plain. At the extremities or ends of the plain there are two large villages."
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (''The Mission of Saint Louis King of France'') was founded east of the river in 1798 by padre
Fermín Lasuén, becoming the 18th of the 21
Spanish Missions of California. The river took its current name from part of the mission's name.
In popular culture
The 2010 Rockstar Games release "
Red Dead Redemption
''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A spiritual successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redemp ...
" features a river inspired by the San Luis Rey. The "San Luis River" serves as the border between the Western Border States and Mexico and is one of the hallmarks of the game.
Gallery
Image:Sanluisreyriverphoto2.jpg, Pacific St and mouth of river
Image:Sanluisreyriverphoto3.jpg, Former causeway across mouth of river
Image:Lakehenshaw1.jpg, Lake Henshaw from Mesa Grande Rd
Image:Lakehenshaw2.jpg, Lake Henshaw from road to Love Valley
File:Lakehenshaw lookout.jpg, Lake Henshaw from lookout on County Highway S7
image:San_Luis_Rey_River_High_Water_2010.jpg, Underneath the Benet Rd bridge after several days of intense rainfall in winter 2010
image:San Luis Rey River around Oceanside, normal water level.jpg, Underneath the Benet Rd bridge as seen most of the year
References
Busch Gardens - San Luis Rey River
{{Authority control
Rivers of San Diego County, California
Cleveland National Forest
Oceanside, California
Santa Rosa Mountains (California)
Peninsular Ranges
Watersheds of California
Rivers of Southern California