North Fork Tuolumne River

North Fork Tuolumne River
Country United States
State California
Tributaries
 - left Basin Creek, Hunter Creek (California)
Source Sierra Nevada
 - location near Pinecrest
 - elevation 7,406 ft (2,257 m)
 - coordinates 38°11′12″N 119°56′07″W / 38.18667°N 119.93528°W / 38.18667; -119.93528 [1]
Mouth Tuolumne River
 - location Lake Don Pedro
 - elevation 853 ft (260 m)
 - coordinates 37°53′49″N 120°15′14″W / 37.89694°N 120.25389°W / 37.89694; -120.25389Coordinates: 37°53′49″N 120°15′14″W / 37.89694°N 120.25389°W / 37.89694; -120.25389 [1]
Length 35.7 mi (57 km) [2]
Basin 69.2 sq mi (179 km2) [3]
Discharge for near Tuolumne, about 10 mi (16 km) from the mouth
 - average 54.2 cu ft/s (2 m3/s) [3]
 - max 4,130 cu ft/s (117 m3/s)
 - min 0.66 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Location of the North Fork in California

The North Fork Tuolumne River is a 35.7-mile (57.5 km) long[2] river in the central Sierra Nevada of Tuolumne County, California and is a major tributary of the Tuolumne River. It originates above the Dodge Ridge Ski Area about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Pinecrest, in the Stanislaus National Forest. From there it flows generally southwest, past Long Barn, Twaine Harte, Soulsbyville and Tuolumne. Below Long Barn the river flows through a narrow canyon on its way to join the Tuolumne River, at the head of Lake Don Pedro Reservoir, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Groveland.[4]

Like the Clavey River, which flows about parallel to the North Fork several miles to the east and also drains into the Tuolumne River, the North Fork is one of only a few Sierra foothill streams that are undisturbed by major dams or diversions. However, the Turlock Irrigation District has sought at times to dam the North Fork and the Clavey for hydropower generation.[5]

The lower 7.8 miles (12.6 km) of the North Fork is a class V whitewater run from Riverside Campground to the Tuolumne River. Due to the small watershed of the river, it is typically only boatable after heavy rain.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "North Fork Tuolumne River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  2. 1 2 "National Hydrography Dataset via National Map Viewer". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  3. 1 2 "USGS Gage #11285000 North Fork Tuolumne River near Tuolumne, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1958–1966. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  4. ↑ USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  5. ↑ Turlock Irrigation District (1994). Draft Environmental Impact Report: Clavey River Project. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. pp. 5.8–5.9.
  6. ↑ "North Fork Tuolumne near Sonora". California Creeks. Retrieved 2017-01-20.


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