South Fork Eel River

South Fork Eel River
Meander in the South Fork Eel River
Map of the Eel River drainage basin showing the South Fork
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Branscomb, California
• coordinates	39°36′46″N 123°29′34″W / 39.61278°N 123.49278°W / 39.61278; -123.49278[1]
• elevation	2,500 ft (760 m)
Mouth	Eel River
• location	Dyerville/Founders' Grove, California
• coordinates	40°21′21″N 123°55′10″W / 40.35583°N 123.91944°W / 40.35583; -123.91944[1]
• elevation	100 ft (30 m)
Length	105 mi (169 km)
Basin size	689 sq mi (1,780 km2)
Discharge
• location	USGS gage 11476500, near Miranda, CA, river mile 20[2]
• average	1,845 cu ft/s (52.2 m3/s)[2]
• minimum	10 cu ft/s (0.28 m3/s)
• maximum	199,000 cu ft/s (5,600 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Hollow Tree Creek, Bull Creek (California)
• right	Tenmile Creek (South Fork Eel River), Rattlesnake Creek (California), Cedar Creek (South Fork Eel River), East Branch South Fork Eel River
National Wild and Scenic River
Designated	January 19, 1981

The South Fork Eel River is the largest tributary of the Eel River in north-central California in the United States. The river flows 105 miles (169 km) north from Laytonville to Dyerville/Founders' Grove where it joins the Eel River. The South Fork drains a long and narrow portion of the Coast Range of California in parts of Mendocino and Humboldt counties. U.S. Route 101 follows the river for much of its length.^[3]

The Kai Pomo, a branch of the Pomo people, once lived in the upper portion of the watershed.^[4] Before industrial development in the 1800s, many native tribes relied on the river's abundant runs of salmon and steelhead. In the 1920s, a private company built the Benbow Dam, blocking fish migration to a large area of the basin.^[5]

The South Fork is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River from the confluence of Section Four Creek to the mouth.