Mill Creek (Tehama County) facts for kids
Mill Creek is a large stream in northern California. It is an eastside tributary of the Sacramento River, draining an area of 134 square miles (350 km2) and flowing for 56.5 miles (90.9 km). The creek begins in Shasta County, California, but almost immediately flows into Tehama County, California. The creek's source is a thermal spring at an elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 m) in Lassen Volcanic National Park. At first, the creek flows roughly south while meandering to the east and west, but the lower two-thirds of the creek flow roughly southwest until it reaches the Sacramento River at an elevation of only 200 feet (61 m), just north of Los Molinos, California.
In the creek's upper reaches, it flows through meadows and dense forests. Later, it descends through a steep canyon and flows into the Sacramento Valley. It flows about 8 miles (13 km) in the valley before it reaches its confluence with the Sacramento River. The creek is in excellent condition, due to the upper two-thirds of it being in the protected lands of Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lassen National Forest. There are no storage dams or reservoirs on the creek, but there are several diversion dams after it reaches the Sacramento Valley.
Mill Creek received its name in the 1840s by an explorer who proposed watermills be built along its course.
