Hare Creek

Hare Creek is a small stream in Mendocino County, California,[2] just south of Fort Bragg. It is approximately 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) long and all but the final 1.14 miles (1.83 km) of its watercourse lies within Jackson Demonstration State Forest. With its four tributaries it drains an area of approximately 2,400 hectares (9.3 sq mi). Its watershed is bordered on the north by the Noyo River, and on the south by Digger Creek. It is a significant habitat for coho salmon.[3] It meets the Pacific Ocean at Hare Creek Beach, also known as Babcock Beach, owned and operated by the Mendocino Land Trust.[4]

Hare Creek
Location
Country	United States
State	California
County	Mendocino
Protected area	Jackson Demonstration State Forest
Physical characteristics
Source	Bunker Gulch
• coordinates	39.3862°N 123.7274°W / 39.3862; -123.7274
• elevation	680 ft (210 m) above MSL
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• coordinates	39.41718°N 123.81290°W / 39.41718; -123.81290[1]
• elevation	Local mean sea level
Length	8 mi (13 km)
Basin size	5.2 sq mi (13 km2)
Width
• minimum	3 ft (0.91 m)
• average	12 ft (3.7 m)
• maximum	30 ft (9.1 m)
Depth
• minimum	0.2 ft (0.061 m)
• average	1 ft (0.30 m)
• maximum	8.5 ft (2.6 m)
Discharge
• location	Creek mouth
• average	1.5 cu ft/s (0.042 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	Valley Road (end)
• average	2 cu ft/s (0.057 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	Covington Gulch
• average	1 cu ft/s (0.028 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	South Fork Hare Creek
• right	Covington Creek
Gradient	61ft/mi (11.6m/km)
Source: [1]

A railway line, the Caspar & Hare Creek Railroad, once carried logs 6 miles (9.7 km) from Hare Creek to a sawmill on Jug Handle Creek.[5]

The Hare Creek Bridge, also known as the Sergeant Emil H. Evensen Memorial Bridge, carries California State Route 1 over the creek, just south of its junction with the western terminus of California State Route 20. Like the Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge and the Jug Handle Bridge several miles to the south, it is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel deck arch bridge, but differs from them in having two partial side arches. It was originally built in 1947.[6] In 2007, its substructure was rated to be in good condition, but its deck was classified as "poor".[7] A Caltrans project, planned to begin in 2025, is set to widen the bridge, upgrade its rails, and retrofit it for seismic safety standards.[8]

In September 2022, the Mendocino County Public Health Office issued a warning to avoid contact with the water at the creek's mouth after routine sampling discovered dangerously high levels of enterococcus bacteria.[9]