Cottonwood Creek (Inyo County, California)
| Cottonwood Creek | |
|---|---|
| Basin features | |
| Main source | 37°34′19″N 118°13′37″W / 37.572°N 118.227°W |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 21.5 miles (34.6 km) |
Cottonwood Creek originates in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forests of the White Mountains of eastern California. The creek flows eastward from below the alpine crest of the White Mountains and descends through groves of bristlecone pine, aspen and mountain mahogany, then a woodland of pinyon pine and juniper, and finally into sagebrush as the stream ends in endorheic Fish Lake Valley which is one of the contiguous collection of inward-draining basins that make up the Great Basin.
Cottonwood Creek has no native fish, however its North Fork is a refuge for the threatened Paiute cutthroat trout, one of the rarest trout in North America. This subspecies was transplanted from its very limited native range, upper Silver King Creek in the Carson River basin. The remainder of the stream hosts (originally) transplanted brook, brown and rainbow trout. Habitat around the creek also supports more than 70 species of birds.
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