| Cedar Creek | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | California |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Santa Clara County, California |
| Length: | 6.25 miles |
| Source1: | Confluence of Cedar Creek with Pacheco Creek |
| Source1 Location: | The eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak in the Diablo Range |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.1067°N -121.3553°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1730feet |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 37.0292°N -121.3256°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 325feet |
| Tributaries Right: | Cañada de la Dormida |
Cedar Creek is a 6.250NaN0[1] south flowing stream which heads on the eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak in the Diablo Range, and is a tributary to Pacheco Creek, in Santa Clara County, California.[2]
Cedar Creek is likely named for California juniper (Juniperus californica), a small tree similar to Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) that is native to California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona.[3] [4]
The Cedar Creek mainstem begins at 1730feet on the eastern flank of Burra Burra Peak, located about 0.40NaN0 south of the Dowdy Ranch Visitor's Center of Henry Coe State Park. It flows south for 20NaN0 where it is joined on the right by its 5.50NaN0 long Cañada de la Dormida tributary.[2] (Cañada de la Dormida is Spanish for "valley of the sleeping woman".)[3] From there it continues south where it is joined on the right by an unnamed tributary in Hageman Canyon, and from there continues south into Hurricane Canyon, after which it ends at its confluence with Pacheco Creek. This confluence is 0.670NaN0 west of the Kaiser-Aetna Road exit at Bell Station on Pacheco Pass Highway (California State Route 152) and 6.50NaN0 west of Pacheco Pass.
Professor Jerry Smith of San Jose State University reported that although Cedar Creek is generally intermittent in summer, it was used by steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at least through the 1970's.[5]
The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency has identified the Cedar Creek undercrossing below Pacheco Pass Highway (California State Route 152) as a wildlife linkage enabling smaller animals to safely cross beneath this high-speed road at the border of Santa Clara County and San Benito County. A 2020 report by Pathways for Wildlife established significant wildlife usage of this 1770NaN0 long by 1640NaN0 wide bridge over Cedar Creek, and suggested modifications to improve it.[6]