McWay Creek
| McWay Creek McWay Canyon | |
|---|---|
In McWay Canyon | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Coast Range, Partington Ridge, California |
| • coordinates | 36°11′13″N 121°39′15″W / 36.18694°N 121.65417°W |
| • elevation | 3,000 ft (910 m) |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
• location | Waterfall Cove, California |
• coordinates | 36°09′30″N 121°40′19″W / 36.15833°N 121.67194°W |
• elevation | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Middle Fork McWay Creek, South Fork McWay Creek |
| • right | North Fork McWay Creek |
McWay Creek is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) coastal stream in Monterey County in the U.S. state of California. It flows steeply west and south from McWay Canyon, high in California's Central Coast Range, and spills into the Pacific Ocean at Waterfall Cove after flowing over scenic McWay Falls. Most of the creek and its watershed are contained within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, 12 miles (19 km) south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The creek is named after Christopher McWay from New York, a pioneer who homesteaded the property.
A Pelton wheel was installed in McWay Creek and generated power for Saddle Rock Ranch, the only electricity in the area for many years. The creek and its canyon are rich in vegetation types, due to the humid coastal climate with frequent fog and rainfall.