The San Lorenzo Valley River

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The San Lorenzo Valley River
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Description The San Lorenzo
River is the home of the Steel-head trout in the
19th century. The San Lorenzo River runs through
Castle Rock and Henry Cowell State Parks.The head
waters originate in the Santa Cruz Mountains at
an elevation of 2500 feet and flow approximately
30 miles through the San Lorenzo Valley before
emptying into Pacific Ocean at Monterey Bay.
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History of the San Lorenzo River
There used to be more than
30,000 fish, but a decade later there was an
estimate of only 1,000 left. The river flooded in
1958.Much of the upper reaches of this watershed
are quite beautiful in their natural forest
setting. One notably scenic reach between the
Riverside Avenue and Broadway bridges may be the
most attractive parts of the river. Here the
river bends around the base of Beach Hill. The
west bank had been the site of a wooden
boardwalk, now washed away by erosion.