Wild & Scenic Rivers

Surprise Canyon is a rare perennial desert stream flowing from the Panamint Mountains adjacent to the western boundary of Death Valley National Park. The year-round stream flow, riparian vegetation, spring…

From its 10,000-foot-high source in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Whitewater River flows east and south into the Coachella Valley desert. The Whitewater River is one of the most pristine…

Deep Creek and its tributary, Holcomb Creek, flow from the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains northward to the Mojave Desert in southern California. the creek is an important migration…

The California Legislature protected 37 miles of the Mokelumne River in the western Sierra Nevada in 2018. The bill passed after the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Legislature-mandated conducted a…

Congress added to the federal system the segment of Piru Creek downstream of Pyramid Dam in northern Los Angeles County in 2009 as part of an omnibus bill signed by…

Palm Canyon Creek flows from the edges of the San Jacinto and Santa Rose Mountains through an arid landscape of rugged canyons and ridges into the Coachella Desert. Congress added…

Glass and Deadman Creeks flow east from San Joaquin Peak on the Sierra Nevada crest and join just upstream of Highway 395. Downstream of the Glass/Deadman confluence, flows are significantly…

Flowing west from the Sierra Nevada crest in Yosemite National Park’s, the Merced River is perhaps best known for its unique and beautiful setting in Yosemite Valley. In 1987, Congress…

From Upper Klamath Lake in south-central Oregon, the Klamath River flows southwest into California and ultimately into the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath is the second-largest river in California. The entire…

The California Legislature added The West Walker River and a short segment of Leavitt Creek (a tributary), to the state system in 1989. The river’s designation was in response to…