Mark West Creek
Encyclopedia
Mark West Creek is a 29.9 miles (48.1 km) stream
that rises in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, California
, USA. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include Porter Creek and Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the Russian River
after a confluence with the Laguna de Santa Rosa
. The Community Clean Water Institute has developed a program for monitoring of pollutant
s in Mark West Creek. The four mile stretch of Mark West Creek from Mark West Lodge to Mark West Creek Road is a challenging class III-V whitewater kayaking
run.
near St. Helena Road. It parallels the road westward to Calistoga Road, where it turns northeast, flowing through the town of Mark West Springs
. From there, it descends southward, paralleling Mark West Springs Road. It passes Mayacama Golf Club and turns westward, emerging from hills east of the Sonoma County Airport
. It crosses under U.S. Route 101
south of Airport Boulevard and continues generally westward, passing south of the airport to join the Laguna de Santa Rosa west of Forestville
. From there, the creek flows north to a confluence with Windsor Creek
, then parallels River Road westward to enter the Russian River east of Steelhead Beach Regional Park.
Near the Laguna de Santa Rosa confluence, Mark West Creek has been diverted southward three separate times, strengthening the impression that the creek feeds the Laguna instead of vice versa. Since 1988, the creek section between the Laguna de Santa Rosa and the Russian River has often been considered part of the Laguna, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation has promoted this nomenclature.
and Sonoma Mountain
in the east to Forestville
in the west. It includes four cities (Santa Rosa
, Rohnert Park
, Sebastopol
, and Cotati
) and the incorporated town of Windsor
. Adjacent watersheds include those of Green Valley Creek
, Petaluma River
, Sonoma Creek
, the Napa River
, and the Russian River.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
that rises in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, USA. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include Porter Creek and Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
after a confluence with the Laguna de Santa Rosa
Laguna de Santa Rosa
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a long wetland complex that drains a 254-square mile watershed encompassing most of the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County, California, USA.-Description:...
. The Community Clean Water Institute has developed a program for monitoring of pollutant
Pollutant
A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil, and is the cause of pollution.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, its concentration and its persistence. Some pollutants are biodegradable and therefore will not persist in the environment in the...
s in Mark West Creek. The four mile stretch of Mark West Creek from Mark West Lodge to Mark West Creek Road is a challenging class III-V whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
run.
Course
Mark West Creek originates about 6 miles (10 km) west of St. Helena, CaliforniaSt. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
near St. Helena Road. It parallels the road westward to Calistoga Road, where it turns northeast, flowing through the town of Mark West Springs
Mark West Springs, California
Mark West Springs is an unincorporated community in eastern Sonoma County, California, USA. Mark West Springs is located on Porter Creek Road in the Mayacamas Mountains. Mark West Creek flows through the community....
. From there, it descends southward, paralleling Mark West Springs Road. It passes Mayacama Golf Club and turns westward, emerging from hills east of the Sonoma County Airport
Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport
Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located 6 nautical miles northwest of downtown Santa Rosa, a city in Sonoma County, California, United States. It serves the county and surrounding areas of Wine Country in California.The airport is named after Charles M...
. It crosses under U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101, is an important north–south U.S. highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States...
south of Airport Boulevard and continues generally westward, passing south of the airport to join the Laguna de Santa Rosa west of Forestville
Forestville, California
Forestville is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The town came into existence during the late 1860s and was originally named Forrestville, after one its founders, but the spelling long ago became standardized with one "r". The population was 3,293 at the 2010...
. From there, the creek flows north to a confluence with Windsor Creek
Windsor Creek
Windsor Creek is an southward-flowing stream in Sonoma County, California, USA, which rises near Healdsburg, California and feeds into Mark West Creek west of the Sonoma County Airport. Its waters reach the Pacific Ocean by way of the Russian River....
, then parallels River Road westward to enter the Russian River east of Steelhead Beach Regional Park.
Near the Laguna de Santa Rosa confluence, Mark West Creek has been diverted southward three separate times, strengthening the impression that the creek feeds the Laguna instead of vice versa. Since 1988, the creek section between the Laguna de Santa Rosa and the Russian River has often been considered part of the Laguna, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation has promoted this nomenclature.
Watershed
The Mark West Creek drainage basin covers a large portion of Sonoma County, from Mount Saint HelenaMount Saint Helena
Mount Saint Helena is a peak in the Mayacamas Mountains with flanks in Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties of California. Composed of uplifted 2.4-million-year-old volcanic rocks from the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, it is one of the few mountains in the San Francisco Bay Area to receive any snowfall...
and Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east...
in the east to Forestville
Forestville, California
Forestville is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The town came into existence during the late 1860s and was originally named Forrestville, after one its founders, but the spelling long ago became standardized with one "r". The population was 3,293 at the 2010...
in the west. It includes four cities (Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, Rohnert Park
Rohnert Park, California
Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2010 United States Census was 40,971. It is an early planned city, modeled directly after Levittown, New York and Levittown, Pennsylvania. Rohnert Park is the...
, Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
, and Cotati
Cotati, California
Cotati is an incorporated city in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., located about north of San Francisco in the 101 corridor between Rohnert Park and Petaluma....
) and the incorporated town of Windsor
Windsor, California
Windsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 26,801 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:Windsor is located on U.S. Route 101 in the Russian River valley, about southeast of Healdsburg, California....
. Adjacent watersheds include those of Green Valley Creek
Green Valley Creek
Green Valley Creek is a stream in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., which springs from the hills above the Bohemian Grove and is a tributary of the Russian River.-Course:...
, Petaluma River
Petaluma River
The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth. It springs from farmlands southwest of Cotati and flows generally southward through Petaluma's old town and of tidal marshes to end in northwest San Pablo Bay.-History:The word...
, Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek is a stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by...
, the Napa River
Napa River
The Napa River, approximately 55 miles long, is a river in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region, called the Napa Valley, in the mountains northeast of San Francisco. Milliken Creek is a tributary of the Napa River....
, and the Russian River.