San Jacinto River (California)

San Jacinto River
The mouth of the San Jacinto on Lake Elsinore, viewed from California State Route 74 (Ortega Highway) on the southwest side of the lake
Map of the Santa Ana River watershed with the San Jacinto subbasin highlighted in yellow.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionRiverside County
CitiesHemet, San Jacinto, Perris, Lake Elsinore
Physical characteristics
SourceSan Jacinto Mountains
  locationSan Bernardino National Forest, Riverside County
  coordinates33°43′52″N 116°48′36″W / 33.73111°N 116.81000°W / 33.73111; -116.81000
  elevation2,100 ft (640 m)
MouthLake Elsinore
  location
Lake Elsinore, at the mouth of Railroad Canyon, northwest of the Sedco Hills and west of the Tuscany Hills of the Temescal Mountains, Riverside County
  coordinates
33°38′45.06″N 117°18′53.42″W / 33.6458500°N 117.3148389°W / 33.6458500; -117.3148389
  elevation
1,243 ft (379 m)
Length42 mi (68 km), Northwest then southwest
Basin size780 sq mi (2,000 km2)
Discharge 
  average16.4 cu ft/s (0.46 m3/s)
  minimum0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
  maximum16,000 cu ft/s (450 m3/s)
Basin features
River systemSanta Ana River basin
Tributaries 
  leftSouth Fork San Jacinto River
  rightNorth Fork San Jacinto River
TypeWild, Scenic, Recreational
DesignatedMarch 30, 2009

The San Jacinto River is a 42-mile-long (68 km) river in Riverside County, California. The river's headwaters are in Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The lower portion of the 765-square-mile (1,980 km2) watershed is urban and agricultural land. As a partially endorheic watershed that is contiguous with other Great Basin watersheds, the western side of the San Jacinto Basin is a portion of the Great Basin Divide.