Bell Canyon

Bell Canyon
Arroyo de las Campanas[1]
Bell Creek at Caspers Wilderness Park
Map of the San Juan Creek watershed with Bell Canyon sub-watershed highlighted
EtymologyAcjachemen tradition
Location
CountryUSA
StateCalifornia
RegionOrange County
Physical characteristics
SourceBell Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains
 • coordinates33°39′51″N 117°28′22″W / 33.66417°N 117.47278°W / 33.66417; -117.47278
 • elevation4,000 ft (1,200 m)
MouthSan Juan Creek, outside San Juan Capistrano
 • coordinates
33°32′3″N 117°33′17″W / 33.53417°N 117.55472°W / 33.53417; -117.55472
 • elevation
113 ft (34 m)
Length14.4 mi (23.2 km)
Discharge 
 • locationRight bank of San Juan Creek
 • minimum0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightTick Creek, Dove Creek

Bell Canyon is a major drainage of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, California in the United States. Bell Creek (also known as Bell Canyon Creek or Arroyo de las Campanas) flows about 14.4 miles (23.2 km) in a southerly direction to its confluence with San Juan Creek. The Bell Canyon drainage is located to the east and parallel to Cañada Gobernadora, and to the south of Trabuco Creek. After Trabuco Creek, it is the second largest tributary of San Juan Creek in terms of length and its watershed area of 26 square miles (67 km2).

Most of Bell Canyon consists of wilderness in the Cleveland National Forest and Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park. The valley is more than 1,000 feet (300 m) deep and averages a mile (1.61 km) wide, and is joined by the major tributaries of Dove Canyon, Crow Canyon and Tick Creek.

  1. ^ "Bell Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-06-15.