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Aliso Creek facts for kids

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Aliso Creek
Alisocreek Bridge.JPG
Aliso Creek flows underneath the Aliso Creek Road bridge before it enters Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.
Alisocreekocmap.png
Map of the Aliso Creek watershed showing major tributaries and cities
Other name(s) Alisos Creek, Los Alisos Creek
Country United States
State California
Counties Orange County
Cities Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo
Physical characteristics
Main source Loma Ridge in the Santa Ana Mountains
Cleveland National Forest north of Portola Hills
1,704 ft (519 m)
33°42′10″N 117°37′20″W / 33.70278°N 117.62222°W / 33.70278; -117.62222
River mouth Pacific Ocean
Aliso Beach Park, Laguna Beach
0 ft (0 m)
33°30′38″N 117°45′9″W / 33.51056°N 117.75250°W / 33.51056; -117.75250
Length 19.8 mi (31.9 km)
Basin features
Basin size 34.9 sq mi (90 km2)
Tributaries
  • Left:
    English Canyon Creek, Aliso Hills Channel, Sulphur Creek
  • Right:
    Munger Creek, Dairy Fork, Wood Canyon Creek

Aliso Creek is a small river in Orange County, California, in the United States. From its source in the Santa Ana Mountains to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean, it is about 19 miles (31 km) long. Its watershed is about 30.4 square miles (79 square kilometers) in size. The name comes from the Spanish word "aliso", meaning alder. Six tributaries join it along its length, which are Wood Canyon Creek, Sulphur Creek, the Dairy Fork, Aliso Hills Channel, Munger Creek and English Canyon.

The creek is heavily polluted. Urban runoff from streets in cities around the creek flow into it, contributing to an increased year-round flow and excessive pollution. To this day, the creek is still a big problem in terms of pollution at its mouth, the popular Aliso Creek Beach.

Nearby rivers

North along coast

South along coast

Images for kids

  • A slow-moving and shallow headwaters of a stream

    Aliso Creek near the headwaters

  • A creek flows out of a gap through a coastal mountain range and flows onto the beach.

    Aliso Creek empties into a sandy lagoon at its mouth in Laguna Beach. Due to tides and erosion, its mouth is ever-changing.

  • Aliso Creek above I-5

    A channelized section of Aliso Creek in Lake Forest

  • Aliso Canyon aerial

    Aerial view of the mouth of Aliso Creek, Aliso Beach is in foreground, Aliso Canyon behind. The Pacific Coast Highway crosses the creek just above its mouth.

  • A long, silver and gray fish

    Steelhead trout existed in Aliso Creek and likely inhabited the creek within recorded history, as recently as 1972.

  • A large valley between arid chaparral-covered hills, opening towards the ocean.

    Aliso Canyon once formed part of the boundary between Acjachemen and Tongva lands.

  • José Serrano Adobe

    The José Serrano Adobe in Lake Forest is one of several dwellings constructed by Don José Serrano on the Rancho Cañada de los Alisos. The original residence near Aliso Creek no longer exists.

  • Black and white panoramic view of a canyon, a group of trees is to the left and several residential buildings are at lower right.

    Composite photo of Aliso Canyon circa 1900. Buildings of the Thurston homestead are visible on the right.

  • A muddy flow of water drops over an artificial concrete waterfall, from a tree-lined riverbed to a riprap-lined channel.

    Many drop structures exist in the Aliso Creek riverbed to prevent erosion.

  • A creek filled with algae flows at the bottom of a vegetated gully.

    Algae bloom in Aliso Creek near the entrance to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, 2017

  • Aliso Creek USACE Restoration Project Map

    Map of the Aliso Creek Mainstem Ecosystem Restoration Project

  • A light-blue reservoir formed by a large dam across a broad valley ringed by houses

    Laguna Niguel Lake, here seen near the dam, is a major boating and fishing location in the Aliso Creek watershed.

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