North Yuba River The North Yuba River, long, rises at
Yuba Pass along
California State Route 49, near the eastern boundary of the
Tahoe National Forest. It flows southwest then west through a canyon past the communities of
Downieville (where it receives the
Downie River from the north) and Goodyears Bar. Its main tributaries, Canyon Creek and Slate Creek, join from the north shortly downstream of there. The river turns south near
Clipper Mills and flows into the
New Bullards Bar Reservoir, impounded by -high
New Bullards Bar Dam. About below New Bullards Bar Dam, it joins with the Middle Yuba River to form the Yuba River.{{cite map
Middle Yuba River Originating in a bowl-shaped valley in Moscove Meadow, the Middle Yuba River flows north into
Jackson Meadows Reservoir, then turns west, soon entering a steep gorge. The majority of the river demarcates the boundary of Sierra County in the north and Nevada County in the south. It receives Kanaka Creek from the north and is then interrupted by the Our House Diversion Dam, which diverts water from the Middle Fork to the North Fork at New Bullards Bar Reservoir. Below the dam, it continues flowing west, receives Oregon Creek from the north and intersects
California State Route 49 about northwest of
North San Juan. About downstream it joins with the North Yuba River.
South Yuba River The South Yuba River originates at Lake Angela in
Nevada County about three quarters of a mile north of
Donner Pass, about three miles east of the town of
Soda Springs. After passing through Lake Van Norden with Upper Castle Creek (longer than the Lake Angela stem) entering from the right, it gathers numerous snow-fed tributaries running west through a marshy, lake-filled valley, crossing
Interstate 80 several times. The river briefly enters
Placer County before flowing back north into Nevada County, then flows into
Lake Spaulding, where much of its water is diverted south to the
Bear River drainage. The remainder of the river turns northward into a gorge near
Emigrant Gap before continuing west. It receives Canyon Creek from the right, then receives Poorman Creek also from the right near
Washington. The river continues west into the foothills and into
South Yuba River State Park where it is bridged by State Route 49. It joins the Yuba River at the upper end of
Englebright Lake.
Main stem /
Marysville and the Feather River lie near the bottom left;
Yuba Goldfields are in the upper right center From the joining of the North Yuba River and Middle Yuba River, the Yuba River mainstem flows southwards, then southwest, through the Sierra Nevada foothills, forming the Yuba-Nevada County border. The river widens into upper Englebright Lake near French Bar, and is joined by the South Yuba within the reservoir. It passes through the
Englebright Dam near
Lake Wildwood and is then joined by Deer Creek (which flows out of Lake Wildwood) on the left. The Yuba River bed widens considerably as it flows out into the
Sacramento Valley near the
Yuba Goldfields, a section of the Yuba River valley consisting of dredged sediments washed down by
hydraulic mining in the 19th century. The river then turns southwest, flowing through irrigated farmland. It then skirts the south side of
Marysville and empties into the Feather River between the cities of Marysville,
Yuba City and
Linda. ==History==