West Fork Carson River

The West Fork Carson River is a major tributary of the Carson River, about 35 miles (56 km) long,^[2] in Alpine County, California, and Douglas County, Nevada, in the United States.

West Fork Carson River
Near Hope Valley
Map of the Carson River watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Source	Sierra Nevada
• location	Alpine County, California
• coordinates	38°38′38″N 119°56′14″W / 38.64389°N 119.93722°W / 38.64389; -119.93722[1]
• elevation	8,404 ft (2,562 m)
Mouth	Carson River
• location	Douglas County, Nevada
• coordinates	38°59′27″N 119°49′29″W / 38.99083°N 119.82472°W / 38.99083; -119.82472[1]
• elevation	4,675 ft (1,425 m)
Length	35 mi (56 km)[2]
Discharge
• location	Woodfords, CA[3]
• average	108 cu ft/s (3.1 m3/s)[4]
• minimum	5.3 cu ft/s (0.15 m3/s)
• maximum	8,100 cu ft/s (230 m3/s)

It rises in the Sierra Nevada of California, at Lost Lakes near Carson Pass in the Mokelumne Wilderness of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It flows north into Hope Valley where it is joined by SR 88 (Carson Pass Highway), which closely follows the river as it travels toward Nevada. At the northern end of the valley it turns east, flowing through a gorge, before emerging from the mountains near Woodfords. From there it flows north, into the Carson Valley of Nevada, where it joins with the East Fork Carson River at Genoa to form the Carson River.^[5]