East Fork Kaweah River

The East Fork Kaweah River is a 22.5-mile (36.2 km)[2] tributary of the Kaweah River in Tulare County, California. The river begins below Farewell Gap at the head of the Mineral King Valley in Sequoia National Park.

East Fork Kaweah River
East Fork Kaweah River and Mineral King Road
Map of the Kaweah River drainage basin
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
Physical characteristics
SourceMineral King
 • locationSequoia National Park
 • coordinates36°24′05″N 118°35′28″W / 36.40139°N 118.59111°W / 36.40139; -118.59111[1]
 • elevation10,029 ft (3,057 m)
MouthKaweah River
 • location
Three Rivers
 • coordinates
36°28′45″N 118°50′18″W / 36.47917°N 118.83833°W / 36.47917; -118.83833[1]
 • elevation
1,283 ft (391 m)
Length22.5 mi (36.2 km)[2]
Basin size95.3 sq mi (247 km2)[2]
The East Fork of the Kaweah has its source at the prominent high elevation gap at the head of the Mineral King Valley, Farewell Gap. The upper East Fork Kaweah can be seen flowing through willow thickets and meadows in its course through the upper Mineral King Valley.

It flows north through mountain meadows then turns west through a steep canyon, where it forms a waterfall about 200 feet (61 m) high known alternately as "Mineral King Falls" or "Three-Falls-Below-The-Gate".[3] It then receives its largest tributary, Horse Creek, from the left before leaving the national park and turning northwest. It joins the Kaweah River about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Three Rivers.


The narrow, winding one-lane Mineral King Road runs along the East Fork canyon, providing the only vehicular access to Mineral King.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "East Fork Kaweah River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  2. ^ a b c "National Hydrography Dataset via National Map Viewer". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  3. ^ "Three-Falls-Below-The-Gate". World Waterfall Database. Retrieved 2018-05-21.