McWay Creek
| McWay Creek | |
| McWay Canyon | |
| River | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Middle Fork McWay Creek, South Fork McWay Creek |
| - right | North Fork McWay Creek |
| Source | |
| - location | Coast Range, Partington Ridge, California |
| - elevation | 3,000 ft (914 m) |
| - coordinates | 36°11′13″N 121°39′15″W / 36.18694°N 121.65417°W |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| - location | Waterfall Cove, California |
| - elevation | 100 ft (30 m) |
| - coordinates | 36°09′30″N 121°40′19″W / 36.15833°N 121.67194°WCoordinates: 36°09′30″N 121°40′19″W / 36.15833°N 121.67194°W |
McWay Creek is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) coastal stream in Monterey County in the U.S. state of California. It flows steeply west and south from McWay Canyon, high in California's Central Coast Range, and spills into the Pacific Ocean at Waterfall Cove after flowing over scenic McWay Falls. Most of the creek and its watershed are contained within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, 12 miles (19 km) south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The creek is named after Christopher McWay from New York, a pioneer who homesteaded the property.
A Pelton wheel was installed in McWay Creek and generated power for Saddle Rock Ranch, the only electricity in the area for many years. The creek and its canyon are rich in vegetation types, due to the humid coastal climate with frequent fog and rainfall.
McWay Creek is formed by the confluence of its North and Middle Forks, at an elevation of roughly 1,270 feet (390 m). The North Fork is the longer of the two streams, beginning at an elevation of 3,450 feet (1,050 m), and running in a straight course southward to where it joins the Middle Fork. The smaller Middle Fork begins at an elevation of 3,182 feet (970 m) and flows south-southwest to meet the North Fork and form the mainstem of McWay Creek. After the mainstem is formed, the creek winds south and west through a narrow canyon to where it meets the South Fork at an elevation of roughly 400 feet (120 m).
The South Fork, the largest sub-basin in the McWay Creek watershed, begins at an elevation of 2,559 feet (780 m) on the east side of a ridge that separates it from the mainstem. After flowing south and turning slightly in a south-southwest direction, it meets McWay Creek. The creek then heads southwest, passing a parking area for Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and crossing under California's Highway 1 via a concrete culvert. It spills into the Pacific Ocean at Waterfall Cove.
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Wikipedia