Bautista Creek Wild & Scenic River

Bautista Creek was designated a federal wild and scenic river by Congress in 2009, as part of an omnibus bill signed by President Obama that protected 105 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers and 750,000 acres of wilderness in California. The stream flows northwest out of the San Jacinto Mountains into the rapidly urbanizing Hemet Valley in southern California. A small seasonal stream, Bautista Creek nevertheless possesses outstanding wildlife, ecological, and historical values. The creek supports more threatened and endangered species than any other place on the San Bernardino National Forest, including endangered arroyo toad, southwestern willow flycatcher, Quino checkerspot butterfly, slender-horned spineflower, and many other sensitive species. The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail parallels the creek, which was one of the routes used by the famed explorer on his 1,200-mile journey from Nogales to San Francisco in 1775-76.