San Juan Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Juan Creek |
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Hikers ford San Juan Creek below the hot springs, February 2008.
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Map of the San Juan Creek watershed
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| Other name(s) | San Juan River |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Orange County, Riverside County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | head of San Juan Canyon, at the confluence of Morrell Canyon Creek with Bear Canyon Creek, Santa Ana Mountains 1,690 ft (520 m) 33°36′49″N 117°26′07″W / 33.61361°N 117.43528°W |
| River mouth | San Juan Lagoon, Doheny State Beach, Dana Point 0 ft (0 m) 33°27′42″N 117°41′01″W / 33.46167°N 117.68361°W |
| Length | 29 mi (47 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 133.9 sq mi (347 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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San Juan Creek is a small river in Orange County, California. It is about 27 miles (43 km) long. This creek starts high up in the Santa Ana Mountains. It then flows west and south, finally reaching the Pacific Ocean at Dana Point.
The area of land that drains into San Juan Creek is called its watershed. This watershed covers about 133.9 square miles (357 square kilometers). It collects all the rain and runoff that eventually flows into the creek.
Contents
What Are San Juan Creek's Main Branches?
San Juan Creek has several smaller streams that flow into it. These are called tributaries.
Trabuco Creek: A Major Tributary
The biggest tributary to San Juan Creek is Trabuco Creek, also known as Arroyo Trabuco. It is about 21 miles (34 km) long. Trabuco Creek also starts in the Santa Ana Mountains and flows south until it joins San Juan Creek.
Oso Creek: Flowing Year-Round
Oso Creek is another important tributary. It flows into Trabuco Creek. Even though it's smaller, Oso Creek has water in it all year long. This is important for the plants and animals that live along its banks.
Animals and Nature in San Juan Creek
The San Juan Creek watershed is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. The water and the land around the creek provide important habitats.
Steelhead Trout: Returning to the Creek
Recently, a special type of fish called Steelhead trout has started to return to San Juan Creek. These fish are amazing because they live in the ocean but swim upstream into freshwater to lay their eggs. However, they face challenges. There are many man-made structures, like dams, that make it hard for them to swim all the way up the creek to their spawning grounds.
Images for kids
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The uppermost reaches of San Juan Creek are called San Juan Canyon and are followed by the narrow Ortega Highway.
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Bell Creek, the second largest tributary of San Juan Creek, flowing through Caspers Wilderness Park
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San Juan Creek between San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point, after a rain
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Lake Mission Viejo is an artificial lake formed by a dam across Oso Creek, used primarily for recreation.
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Upland riparian and stream habitat along Hot Spring Canyon
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Steelhead trout have recently begun to return to San Juan Creek, only to find many man-made obstructions preventing them from spawning.
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Pre-contact tribal boundaries in Southern California
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Mission San Juan Capistrano
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San Juan Creek at the old Ganado bridge, c. 1958
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Drop structure viewed during rainfall, near the San Juan-Trabuco confluence
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Concrete banks of San Juan Creek in Dana Point, c. 1963
