San Juan Creek

File:San Juan Creek in San Juan Capistrano.JPG

San Juan Creek just two miles from its mouth.

San Juan Creek is a small river in Orange County, California. It is about 27 miles (43 km) long. Its watershed occupies 133.9 square miles (357 square kilometers). It begins in the Santa Ana Mountains, and ends, after a journey winding west and south, in the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point.

Its biggest tributary, Trabuco Creek or Arroyo Trabuco, is about 21 miles (34 km) long, flowing south from the Santa Ana Mountains into San Juan Creek. Oso Creek is a smaller tributary to Trabuco Creek, but has a lot of water in it the entire year. Many people say they found a dead bear on the Oso Creek.

North along coast

• Aliso Creek

South along coast

• Santa Margarita River

San Juan Creek Media

• The uppermost reaches of San Juan Creek are called San Juan Canyon and are followed by the narrow Ortega Highway.

• Bell Creek, the second largest tributary of San Juan Creek, flowing through Caspers Wilderness Park

• SanJuanCreekAtGanado.jpg

  San Juan Creek during high flow in March 1958

• Snow at Lake Mission Viejo 005.jpg

  Lake Mission Viejo is an artificial lake formed by a dam across Oso Creek, used primarily for recreation.

• Upper canyon cascade.JPG

  Upland riparian and stream habitat along Hot Spring Canyon

• Lake Washington Ship Canal Fish Ladder pamphlet - ocean phase Steelhead.jpg

  Steelhead trout have recently begun to return to San Juan Creek, only to find many man-made obstructions preventing them from spawning.

• Pre-contact tribal boundaries in Southern California

• Mission San Juan Capistrano.jpg

  Mission San Juan Capistrano