Matilija Creek
| Matilija Creek | |
| Arroyo Matilija | |
| River | |
 Matilija Reservoir and Dam
|
|
| Country | United States of America |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Middle Fork Matilija Creek, Upper North Fork Matilija Creek, North Fork Matilija Creek |
| - right | Old Man Canyon, Murietta Canyon |
| Source | |
| - location | Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara County |
| - elevation | 5,200 ft (1,585 m) |
| - coordinates | 34°35′45″N 119°27′31″W / 34.59583°N 119.45861°W |
| Mouth | Ventura River |
| - elevation | 915 ft (279 m) |
| - coordinates | 34°29′06″N 119°18′01″W / 34.48500°N 119.30028°WCoordinates: 34°29′06″N 119°18′01″W / 34.48500°N 119.30028°W |
| Length | 18 mi (29 km) |
| Basin | 54.6 sq mi (141 km2) |
| Discharge | for near Matilija Hot Springs |
| - average | 43.3 cu ft/s (1 m3/s) |
| - max | 8,780 cu ft/s (249 m3/s) |
| - min | 0.03 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
Matilija Creek (/məˈtɪlᵻhɑː/ mə-TIL-i-hah) is a major stream in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. It joins with North Fork Matilija Creek to form the Ventura River. Many tributaries feed the mostly free flowing, 17.3-mile (27.8 km) creek, which is largely contained in the Matilija Wilderness. Matilija was one of the Chumash rancherias under the jurisdiction of Mission San Buenaventura. The meaning of the Chumash name is unknown.
From its headwaters south of Sespe Creek in the Matilija Wilderness in Santa Barbara County, the creek flows east then south through a narrow V-shaped canyon into Ventura County. Below Matilija Falls it turns east and receives the Upper North Fork from the left, and almost immediately below that the West Fork (Murietta Canyon) from the right. The creek then flows east through a wider valley along the north side of the Santa Ynez Mountains before it empties into the mostly silted in Matilija Lake reservoir, formed by the 200-foot (61 m) high concrete arch Matilija Dam. Below the dam the creek flows southeast, through Matilija Hot Springs, and meets the North Fork Matilija Creek at the hamlet of Ojala, forming the Ventura River.
The smaller North Fork Matilija Creek flows west and south from its headwaters near Rose Valley. The North Fork runs southwest, along Forest Route 6N31, and receives Cannon Creek from the right and Bear Creek from the left. It then cascades through the narrow Wheeler Gorge and through the community of Wheeler Springs. It flows briefly east and joins Matilija Creek shortly downstream. Highway 33 largely parallels the North Fork, from the top of Dry Lakes Ridge to the mouth.
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Wikipedia