Cherry Creek (Tuolumne River)
| Cherry Creek | |
 Rafters on Mushroom Rapid in Cherry Creek, June 2002
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| Country | United States |
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| State | California |
| Source | Sierra Nevada |
| - location | Emigrant Wilderness, Tuolumne County |
| - elevation | 7,119 ft (2,170 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°05′54″N 119°47′23″W / 38.09833°N 119.78972°W |
| Mouth | Tuolumne River |
| - location | West of Mather, Tuolumne County |
| - elevation | 2,162 ft (659 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°53′19″N 119°58′19″W / 37.88861°N 119.97194°WCoordinates: 37°53′19″N 119°58′19″W / 37.88861°N 119.97194°W |
| Length | 26 mi (42 km) |
| Basin | 234 sq mi (606 km2) |
| Discharge | for below Holm Powerplant, near the mouth |
| - average | 694 cu ft/s (20 m3/s) |
| - max | 33,500 cu ft/s (949 m3/s) |
| - min | 1.6 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
 Map of the Tuolumne River watershed, including Cherry Creek
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Cherry Creek is a large, swift-flowing stream in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and is the largest tributary of the Tuolumne River. The creek is 40 miles (64 km) long measured to its farthest headwaters; the main stem itself is 26 miles (42 km) long, draining a watershed of 234 square miles (610 km2) in the Stanislaus National Forest. Part of the drainage also extends into the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park.
Cherry Creek originates at the confluence of its North and East Forks in Lord Meadow, at 7,119 feet (2,170 m) in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest just north of the national park boundary. It flows west then southwest through the rugged granite formations of the deep Cherry Creek Canyon. After joining with West Fork Cherry Creek, it flows south into Cherry Lake, a large reservoir formed by the Cherry Valley Dam. Below the dam the creek receives Eleanor Creek from the left and continues for about 10 miles (16 km) south then west through a canyon in the Sierra Nevada foothills to its confluence with the Tuolumne River about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Mather.
The East Fork Cherry Creek, 13 miles (21 km) long, has its beginnings at Summit Meadow near Bigelow Peak and the Tuolumne-Mono County line, at an elevation of 9,399 feet (2,865 m). It flows southwest through long, narrow Huckleberry Lake at 7,861 feet (2,396 m) and continues to descend steeply to the confluence with the North Fork at Lord Meadow.
The North Fork Cherry Creek is 14 miles (23 km) long. It is located north of, and flows largely parallel to the East Fork. Its source is at High Emigrant Lake, at an elevation of 9,711 feet (2,960 m). It flows southwest rhough Emigrant Meadow Lake, Middle Emigrant Lake and then into the much larger Emigrant Lake at 8,832 feet (2,692 m). Below Emigrant Lake it flows through Cow Meadow Lake and then continues through a canyon to its confluence with the East Fork.
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Wikipedia