Cliff Creek
| Cliff Creek | |
|---|---|
 Cliff Creek running low through its granite streambed during an extreme drought in the Sierra Nevada (June 17th, 2021) | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Tulare County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Columbine Lake |
| • location | Sequoia National Park |
| • coordinates | 36°27′51″N 118°33′03″W / 36.46417°N 118.55083°W |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 36°32′2″N 118°39′22″W / 36.53389°N 118.65611°W |
| Length | 8.5 miles (13.7 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Columbine Lake → Middle Fork Kaweah River → Kaweah River → Tulare Lake |
| River system | Kaweah River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Timber Gap Creek |
Cliff Creek is an 8.5-mile (13.7 km) long creek in Tulare County, California in Sequoia National Park. It is a major tributary of the Middle Fork Kaweah River and has its source high in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.[1]
Course
[edit]It begins high in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at an elevation of 10,944 feet (3336 m) at Columbine lake on the eastern side of Sawtooth mountain. It descends to Cyclamen lake via a cataract and from there travels over another waterfall into nearby Spring lake.[2][better source needed] After exiting Spring lake, Cliff Creek begins its steep descent southwestward to its confluence with the Middle Fork Kaweah river, over 6,000 feet below. Pinto Lake, a small pond in a large meadow, feeds Cliff Creek in the upper part of its canyon. [3]
Its course is defined by wet meadows, large waterfalls and subalpine conifer forests.
In most years, Cliff Creek is a swift and deep stream that can be treacherous to backpackers without proper precautions.[4]
Geography
[edit]Cliff Creek is entirely contained within Sequoia National Park.[5] It is paralleled by backpacking trails between the middle fork canyon and the divide between the Kern and Kaweah rivers at Blackrock Pass, as well as the nearby Mineral King valley.
There are a number of backpacking campsites of various qualities along Cliff Creek.[6][better source needed]
Ecology
[edit]Cliff Creek flows through a number of different ecosystems on its 7,000-foot descent through the Sierra Nevada. Starting in a barren alpine lake, it descends through the subalpine and montane zones, eventually joining with the Kaweah river in a montane California woodlands biome.[7][3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ "Cliff Creek Lakes". www.sierrahiker.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ a b "Glacial Reconnaissance of the Kaweah River System". npshistory.com. US Geological Survey. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Putting It in Perspective: How do the 2023 high river flows compare to recent past events? (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- ^ "Geology, Hydrology, Quality of Water, and Water Supply of the Three Rivers Area, California" (PDF). southernsierrawmg.org. State of California Department of Water Resources.
- ^ Turner, Scott (2017-07-10). "Five Lakes Basins". Modern Hiker. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ "Rivers, Snow, and Hydrology – Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-24.