| Little Arthur Creek | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA California |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 280 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Little Arthur Creek 5 miles west of Gilroy, California |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | California |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Santa Clara County |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipality |
| Source1: | Crest of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains |
| Source1 Location: | 3.8miles northwest of Mount Madonna |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.0492°N -121.7528°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 2235feet |
| Mouth: | Confluence with Uvas Creek |
| Mouth Location: | 5miles west/northwest of Gilroy, California |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 37.0281°N -121.6564°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 292feet |
Little Arthur Creek, historically San Antonio Creek, is a 6.1adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] east/southeastward-flowing stream originating just west of the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It joins Uvas Creek about 4miles west of Gilroy, California, Santa Clara County, California. Uvas Creek is, in turn, tributary to the Pajaro River and thence to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Little Arthur Creek was named for a little boy who loved fishing in the creek before 1900, however his surname remains unknown.[2] [3] In 1863 Charles and Annis Sanders homesteaded the upper Little Arthur Creek watershed and in 1891 built a 20 guest room Victorian hotel called Redwood Retreat. The Redwood Retreat Road follows the stream up to Fernwood Cellars, a winery built on the Redwood Retreat land.[4]
Little Arthur Creek originates west of the crest of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains, aka Sierra Azul. It flows 6.1miles east/southeast to join Uvas Creek about 4miles downstream from Uvas Reservoir.[5]
The creek hosts endangered species act listed threatened South-Central coastal distinct population segment (DPS) of anadromous steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Little Arthur Creek is one of the last remaining "inland" central coast steelhead streams with viable fish runs and is one of only a few Pajaro River tributaries with cool, perennial summer rearinghabitat.[6] Thirty feet high Pickell's Dam was built over a century ago and blocked 3miles of good spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead. Flycasters of San Jose constructed a fishway around Pickell’s Dam, located at stream mile 1.5, in the mid 1980s.[5] In October, 2024 Trout Unlimited sponsored the removal of Pickel's Dam.[7]
Ferbrache Dam is the main remaining barrier to upstream passage of steelhead trout, and prevents use of 2miles of rearing habitat downstream from Redwood Retreat.[5]