Soda Springs Creek
Map SatelliteOnly the lake and watercourse of upper Soda Springs Creek, from its headwaters 10 kilometers (6 miles) downstream, are included in this area. The creek rises in the Sequoia National Park and, after several kilometers, enters the Sequoia National Forest.
This mountain creek, which cuts through Sierran granites, is the home of probably the only pure population of the Little Kern golden trout, Salmo aquabonita whitei. This fish was once abundant in the upper Kern River drainage, but hybridization with introduced rainbow trout, Salmo gairdnerii, has resulted in a mixed population.
Integrity: The stream is being managed to maintain the golden trout population, with checks to prevent the upstream migration of other trout; however, the program has not been entirely successful. The creek is closed to fishing.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
Ref: Fisk, L. O., 1969. Golden Trout of the High Sierra. Calif. Dept. of Fish & Game, Sacramento, 16 pp.
March 1978
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman