Albion River

Albion River
Albion River
Location of the mouth in California
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Mendocino County
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	12 mi (19 km) southwest of Willits
• coordinates	39°15′10″N 123°32′32″W / 39.25278°N 123.54222°W / 39.25278; -123.54222[1]
• elevation	800 ft (240 m)
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Albion, California
• coordinates	39°13′38″N 123°46′13″W / 39.22722°N 123.77028°W / 39.22722; -123.77028[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Basin size	43 sq mi (110 km2)

The Albion River is an 18.1-mile-long (29.1 km) river in Mendocino County, California. The river drains about 43 square miles (110 km²) on the Mendocino Coast and empties into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Albion, California, where California State Route 1 crosses it on the Albion River Bridge. The river's overall direction is east to west, but it moves significantly in the north–south direction. The tributaries of the river include Railroad Gulch, Pleasant Valley Creek, Duck Pond Gulch, South Fork Albion River, Tom Bell Creek, North Fork Albion River, and Marsh Creek. The river's most inland point is only 15 miles (24 km) from the coast, and its highest elevation is about 1,570 feet (480 m) above sea level. There is a large estuary at the mouth of the river, and tidal waters travel up to 5 miles (8 km) upstream. The Albion River was previously used to power a sawmill on the river mouth, but there are no major dams or reservoirs on the river. The river provides recreation, groundwater recharge and industrial water supply for the community of Albion, and wildlife habitat including cold freshwater habitat for fish migration and spawning.^[2]