Ten Mile River (California)

Ten Mile River (California)
Ten Mile Creek, Tenmile[1]
Ten Mile River, looking north from California 1
Map
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionMendocino
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of North Fork Ten Mile Creek and Middle Fork Ten Mile Creek
 • coordinates39°33′10″N 123°46′01″W / 39.55278°N 123.76694°W / 39.55278; -123.76694[1]
 • elevation49 ft (15 m)
MouthPacific Ocean
 • coordinates
39°33′10″N 123°46′01″W / 39.55278°N 123.76694°W / 39.55278; -123.76694[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMiddle Fork Ten Mile Creek, Mill Creek, California, South Fork Ten Mile Creek
 • rightNorth Fork Ten Mile Creek

Ten Mile River (also known as Ten Mile Creek) is in northern Mendocino County, California, United States. It is named for the fact that its mouth is 10 miles (16 km) north of the mouth of the Noyo River.[2][3] The lands around lower Ten Mile River provide valuable freshwater and saltwater marsh habitat for a variety of birds.[4] The Ten Mile River Estuary, Ten Mile Beach, and Ten Mile State Marine Reserve together form a marine protected area that extends from the estuary out to 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi).[5] Ten Mile Beach is also part of MacKerricher State Park, which extends approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) southward from the mouth of the river to Cleone and includes approximately 1,300 acres (526 ha) of the "most pristine stretch of sand dunes [in California]."[6]

  1. ^ a b c d "Ten Mile River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Durham, David L. (1998), California's geographic names: a gazetteer of historic and modern names of the state, Quill Driver Books, p. 155, ISBN 978-1-884995-14-9.
  3. ^ Palmer, Lyman L. (1967), History of Mendocino County, California, comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber, Mendocino County Historical Society, p. 423.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference franks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ California Department of Fish and Wildlife (2013). Guide to the Northern California Marine Protected Areas: California-Oregon Border to Point Arena (Report).
  6. ^ Hall, Carl T. (June 16, 2005), "A little something for fans of sand: California home to some of most impressive dunes", San Francisco Chronicle.