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Hat Creek (California) facts for kids

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Hat Creek
Hat Creek cottonwoods (9167727301).jpg
Country United States
State California
Cities Old Station, Hat Creek, Cassel
Physical characteristics
Main source Confluence of East and West Forks
Dersch Meadows, Lassen Volcanic National Park
6,302 ft (1,921 m)
40°31′02″N 121°27′19″W / 40.51722°N 121.45528°W / 40.51722; -121.45528
River mouth Pit River
Lake Britton
2,736 ft (834 m)
40°59′23″N 121°34′43″W / 40.98972°N 121.57861°W / 40.98972; -121.57861
Length 48.7 mi (78.4 km)

Hat Creek is a 48.7-mile-long (78.4 km) stream and tributary of the Pit River, located in Shasta County of northern California.

The creek rises in two forks on the eastern slopes of Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and flows northward through Lassen National Forest to its mouth at Lake Britton near Burney, California.

Hat Creek is so named because a surveyor lost his hat there.

Wild Trout Waterway

The lower three and a half miles of the creek has been designated by the California Department of Fish and Game as a "Wild Trout Waterway," with restrictive catch limits. This area has a similar geology to the chalk streams of southern England, and is considered a classic trout stream. The trout population is made of wild rainbow and brown trout of up to 20 inches (510 mm) in length.

Towns

The main towns along Hat Creek are Hat Creek and Old Station, which is closer to Lassen Park. The Hat Creek Radio Observatory is located near the town of Hat Creek.

During the May 19, 1915, eruption of Mount Lassen, a lahar or mudflow swept down Hat Creek and neighboring Lost Creek.

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