McCloud River
| McCloud River McLeod's Fork, McLoud River | |
|---|---|
Middle McCloud Falls on the McCloud River | |
Location of the mouth of the McCloud River in California | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| City | McCloud |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Southeast of Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County, California |
| • coordinates | 41°13′12″N 121°46′21″W / 41.22000°N 121.77250°W |
| • elevation | 4,677 ft (1,426 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | McCloud River Arm of Lake Shasta, Sacramento River, Shasta County, California |
• coordinates | 40°46′13″N 122°18′13″W / 40.77028°N 122.30361°W |
• elevation | 1,066 ft (325 m) |
| Length | 77 mi (124 km) |
| Basin size | 674 sq mi (1,750 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near the mouth |
| • average | 775 cu ft/s (21.9 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 109 cu ft/s (3.1 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 51,300 cu ft/s (1,450 m3/s) |
The McCloud River is a 77.1-mile (124.1 km) long river that flows east of and parallel to the upper Sacramento River, in Siskiyou County and Shasta County in northern California in the United States. Protected under California's Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1972), it drains a scenic mountainous area of the Cascade Range, including part of Mount Shasta. It is a tributary of the Pit River, which in turn flows into the Sacramento River. The three rivers join in Shasta Lake, formed by Shasta Dam north of Redding.