Kings River

Kings River (Wim-mel-che)
Rio de los Santos Reyes
River
The Middle and South forks of the river converge to form the main Kings River.
Name origin: Derived from Rio Los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings), a name given to the river by Gabriel Moraga
Country	United States
State	California
Regions	Kings Canyon National Park, Kings County, California
Tributaries
- left	South Fork Kings River
- right	Middle Fork Kings River, North Fork Kings River
Source	Confluence of Middle and South Forks
- coordinates	36°50′17″N 118°52′29″W / 36.83806°N 118.87472°W / 36.83806; -118.87472
Mouth
- elevation	56 ft (17 m)
- coordinates	36°03′00″N 119°49′28″W / 36.05°N 119.82444°W / 36.05; -119.82444
Length	125 mi (201 km)

The Kings River is a major river of California. It arises in the Sierra Nevada, consisting of three forks. The Middle and South Forks start in Kings Canyon National Park, while the North Fork starts in the John Muir Wilderness. The South Fork flows in Kings Canyon: a spectacular 8,000-foot (2,400 m) deep glacial valley. The forks join in the foothills of the Sierra in Fresno County, where the river becomes an attraction for whitewater rafting (class 3 rapids). From that point, the Kings River flows about 125 miles (200 km) to the Tulare Lake bed south of Stratford.

In the foothills, the water from the river is impounded at Pine Flat Dam. In the Central Valley, the river flows south of Fresno, California, where its water is diverted for agriculture. The Kings River splits six miles (10 km) north of Lemoore into a second set of North and South Forks. These forks join again nearly five miles (8 km) west of Lemoore. Clark's Fork splits off from the second South Fork and flows 5.5 miles (9 km) to rejoin the second North Fork 6 miles (10 km) west-northwest of Lemoore. The river flows through an artificial channel into the normally dry Tulare Lake bed about ten miles (16 km) south of Stratford.^[1]

History

The Kings River was named by Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga on one of the first expeditions by the Spanish to the Central Valley of California in 1806. The Kings River was originally named Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) to honor the Biblical Magi.^[2] On the valley floor the Kings River is responsible for certain groundwater recharge. There is evidence in the Hanford area that depths to groundwater are increasing, indicating concern for safe yields of this basin.^[3]

References

See also

• List of rivers of California