The Santa Clara River was originally named the Río de Santa Clara on August 9, 1769, by the Portolá expedition on the march north from San Diego to found a mission at Monterey, to honor Saint Clare of Assisi who … See more

The Santa Clara River's headwaters take drainage from the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains near the Angeles Forest Highway, inside the western part of the Angeles National Forest. Its largest fork, Aliso Cany… See more

Although located just north of the heavily populated Los Angeles Basin, the 1,600 sq mi (4,100 km ) Santa Clara River watershed remains one of the most natural on the South Coast. It is separated from the Los Angele… See more

The estuary has been modified by human activities at least since 1855. By the late 1920s roads and agricultural fields had become established. In the late 1950s the former delta area was occupied by the Ventura W… See more

The river is habitat for threatened species such as the unarmored three-spined stickleback, steelhead, southwestern pond turtle, and least Bell's vireo. The endemic, endangered Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae… See more