Mad River (California)

Mad River
The Mad River about 4 miles (6.4 km) above the mouth
Map of the Mad River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesHumboldt, Trinity
CityMcKinleyville
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationCalifornia Coast Ranges
 • coordinates40°12′20″N 123°9′23″W / 40.20556°N 123.15639°W / 40.20556; -123.15639[1]
 • elevation4,845 ft (1,477 m)[2]
MouthPacific Ocean
 • coordinates
40°56′31″N 124°8′6″W / 40.94194°N 124.13500°W / 40.94194; -124.13500[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length113 mi (182 km)[3]
Basin size497 sq mi (1,290 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationMcKinleyville
 • average1,573 cu ft/s (44.5 m3/s)
 • minimum17 cu ft/s (0.48 m3/s)
 • maximum81,000 cu ft/s (2,300 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSouth Fork Mad River, Blue Slide Creek, Littlefield Creek
 • rightBarry Creek, Pilot Creek, Bug Creek, Graham Creek, Boulder Creek, Maple Creek, Canõn Creek, North Fork Mad River, Lindsay Creek, Mill Creek
Mad River
Six Rivers National Forest
Three Forks
South Fork Mad River
Barry Creek
Ruth Airport
Littlefield Creek
Ruth
Ruth Reservoir
R.W. Matthews Dam
California 36.svg SR 36
Mad River
Pilot Creek
Deer Creek
Bug Creek
Graham Creek
Blue Slide Creek
Boulder Creek
Maple Creek
Butler Valley Road
Canõn Creek
North Fork Mad River
Blue Lake
Mill (Hall) Creek
Lindsay Creek
Essex
California 299.svg SR 299
Arcata
US 101 (1961 cutout).svg US 101
Tyee City
McKinleyville
Pacific Ocean

The Mad River (Wiyot: Baduwa't[4]) is a river in upper Northern California. It flows for 113 miles (182 km)[3] in a roughly northwest direction through Trinity County and then Humboldt County, draining a 497-square-mile (1,290 km2) watershed into the Pacific Ocean north of the town of Arcata near [California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport[5]] in McKinleyville. The river's headwaters are in the Coast Range near South Kelsey Ridge.

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mad River, USGS, GNIS
  2. ^ Google Earth elevation for source coordinates
  3. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 9, 2011
  4. ^ "Wiyot Tribe Declares State of Emergency Regarding Local Rivers". www.wiyot.us. Wiyot Tribe. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ "(ACV) CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST-HUMBOLDT COUNTY". adip.faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 1 January 2023.