| Zayante Creek | |
| Native Name: | (Awaswas language)[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | California |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Zayante Creek in California |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | California |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Santa Cruz |
| Source1: | Santa Cruz Mountains |
| Source1 Location: | Castle Rock Ridge |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.1561°N -122.0013°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1000feet |
| Mouth: | San Lorenzo River |
| Mouth Location: | Felton |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 37.048°N -122.068°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 233feet |
| River System: | San Lorenzo River |
| Tributaries Left: | Mountain Charlie Gulch, Bean Creek |
| Tributaries Right: | Lompico Creek |
Zayante Creek (Ohlone: Sayant) is a 10.3adj=midNaNadj=mid stream within the San Lorenzo River watershed in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The U.S. government has designated Zayante Creek as impaired with respect to sediment.[2] Lompico Creek, a tributary of Zayante Creek, is listed for impairment by pathogens.[3] In the period 1998 to 2000 a restoration project was conducted for this stream to improve anadromous fish passage, rearing and spawning.[4] There has been a permanent U.S. Geological Survey gauging station on Zayante Creek which has operated since the year 1959; the mean altitude of the Zayante Basin, carved within the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is 1000feet.[5] Significant tributaries to Zayante Creek are Lompico Creek and Bean Creek.
Soils formations along the mainstem of Zayante Creek by ascending altitude are: Monterey Formation, Zayante Formation, Vaqueros Sandstone and Lompico Sandstone;[6] about midway through its course, Zayante Creek is bisected by the Zayante Fault.
Several notable ecological features are present in the Zayante Creek watershed, including the occurrence of a rare forest type: maritime coast range ponderosa pine forest, which contains two endangered arthropods. Regarding specific avafauna species there are sightings of Townsend's warbler.[7]