The Salinas River is a major river of the central coast of California in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. It drains the long Salinas Valley that stretches through the Coast Range south from Monterey Bay, providing a principal source of water for the farms and vineyards of the valley.

Description

It rises in central San Luis Obispo County, at the north end of the La Panza Range , approximately 20 mi (32 km) east of San Luis Obispo. It flows northwest east of the Santa Lucia Range past Atascadero and Paso Robles. It receives the Nacimento and San Antonio rivers from the west in southern Monterey County. It flows past King City, Greenfield, and Soledad. It approaches the southern end of Monterey Bay west of Salinas. The river does reach the Pacific in its main channel but is diverted northward along the edge of the bay in the Old Salinas River , joining a slough on Monterey Bay southwest of Watsonville.

The use of the river for irrigation in the valley makes it one of the most productive agricultural regions in California. It is especially known as one of the principal regions for lettuce and artichokes in the United States. The river is shallow above ground, with much of its flow underground. In the 18th century the river valley provided the route of El Camino Real,the principal overland route from southern to northern California.

External link

• Monterey County: The Salinas River