Santa Clara River (California) - Course

Course

The Santa Clara River's headwaters take drainage from the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains near the Angeles Forest Highway, inside the western part of the Angeles National Forest. Its largest fork, Aliso Canyon, is about 7 miles (11 km) long and forms the primary headstream. These branches combine into the broad wash of the main stem near the town of Acton which flows west through Soledad Canyon, crossing under California State Route 14 near the town of Canyon Country. The river then theoretically receives Bouquet Creek, Placerita Creek and San Francisquito Creek at the city of Santa Clarita, though in practice the river remains dry most of the year, except on extreme occasions of heavier than average rainfall. The river then crosses west under Interstate 5 and receives Castaic Creek from the right.

After the Castaic Creek confluence, the river starts to flow primarily southwest, past Buckhorn and Fillmore, incorporating additional flow from Piru Creek and Sespe Creek, both from the right, and Santa Paula Creek at the town of Santa Paula, where it passes the large South Mountain Oil Field on the south bank. The Santa Clara River then bends southwest, passing the Saticoy Oil Field on the north bank while flowing onto a broad coastal plain before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Ventura and Oxnard.