Tunitas Creek facts for kids

Tunitas Creek is a small stream, about 6.6-mile-long (10.6 km), located in San Mateo County, California. The name Tunitas comes from Spanish and means "little prickly pears."

The creek starts high up on Kings Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It flows all the way down to the Pacific Ocean at Tunitas Beach. A paved road, Tunitas Creek Road, follows the creek's path.

Tunitas Creek at its outflow across Tunitas Beach. You can see faint traces of the old Ocean Shore Railroad between the road and shoreline. Gordon's Chute was along the cliffs at the upper left.

Exploring Tunitas Creek's Past

The area around Tunitas Creek has a long history. The first Europeans to explore Alta California were part of the Spanish Portolá expedition. They traveled along the coast in 1769.

Early Explorers and Campsites

The Portolà expedition camped near what is now San Gregorio for three days in October 1769. On their way back south, they camped near Half Moon Bay on November 16. The very next day, November 17, they camped at Tunitas Creek.

A missionary named Juan Crespi was with the expedition. He wrote in his diary that it was very cloudy and rainy that morning. He noted that they traveled about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) and stopped by a "deep arroyo," which is a Spanish word for a stream or creek.

Old Maps and Boundaries

The name "Arroyo de Las Tunitas" appeared on old Spanish land claim maps. These maps were called diseños. The creek was an important boundary line between two large land grants: Rancho San Gregorio (from 1839) and Rancho Cañada Verde (from 1838).

Gordon's Chute: A Clever Invention

Just north of where Tunitas Creek meets the ocean, there used to be something called "Gordon's Chute." This was a special ramp built on the cliffs. Farmers used it to slide their goods down from the top of the cliffs to ships waiting below in the ocean.

Gordon's Chute, 1878. This ramp helped move farm goods from the cliffs to ships.

Alexander Gordon, a local resident, built this chute in 1872. It was a very useful way to transport goods. However, it only lasted until 1885, when a big storm destroyed it. Even today, you might still find the metal eyebolts that held the chute in place on the cliff face!

Smaller Streams Joining Tunitas Creek

Several smaller streams flow into Tunitas Creek. These are called tributaries. They add water to the main creek as it flows towards the ocean.

• Dry Creek
• Rings Gulch
• East Fork Tunitas Creek
• Mitchell Creek