North Fork Eel River
| North Fork Eel River | |
|---|---|
Map of the Eel River drainage basin, including the North Fork Eel River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Trinity County, Mendocino County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of East and West Forks |
| • location | Six Rivers National Forest, Trinity County |
| • coordinates | 40°12′49″N 123°23′14″W / 40.21361°N 123.38722°W |
| • elevation | 2,123 ft (647 m) |
| Mouth | Eel River |
• location | About 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Spyrock, Mendocino County |
• coordinates | 39°57′24″N 123°26′14″W / 39.95667°N 123.43722°W |
• elevation | 574 ft (175 m) |
| Length | 35.5 mi (57.1 km) |
| Basin size | 286 sq mi (740 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Mina, CA |
| • average | 644 cu ft/s (18.2 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0.13 cu ft/s (0.0037 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 133,000 cu ft/s (3,800 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Eel River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Red Mountain Creek, Hulls Creek |
| • right | Wilson Creek |
| Designated | January 19, 1981 |
The North Fork Eel River is the smallest of four major tributaries of the Eel River in northwestern California in the United States. It drains a rugged wilderness area of about 286 square miles (740 km2) in the California Coast Ranges, and flows through national forests for much of its length. Very few people inhabit the relatively pristine watershed of the river; there are no operational stream gauges and only one bridge (Mina Road) that crosses the river, near the boundary between Trinity and Mendocino Counties.