Bell Canyon
Bell Canyon is a major drainage of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, California in the United States. Bell Creek (also known as Bell Canyon Creek or Arroyo de las Campanas) flows about 14.4 miles (23.2 km) in a southerly direction to its confluence with San Juan Creek. The Bell Canyon drainage is located to the east and parallel to Cañada Gobernadora, and to the south of Trabuco Creek. After Trabuco Creek, it is the second largest tributary of San Juan Creek in terms of length and its watershed area of 26 square miles (67 km2).
| Bell Canyon Arroyo de las Campanas | |
|---|---|
Bell Creek at Caspers Wilderness Park | |
Map of the San Juan Creek watershed with Bell Canyon sub-watershed highlighted | |
| Etymology | Acjachemen tradition |
| Location | |
| Country | USA |
| State | California |
| Region | Orange County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Bell Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains |
| • coordinates | 33°39′51″N 117°28′22″W |
| • elevation | 4,000 ft (1,200 m) |
| Mouth | San Juan Creek, outside San Juan Capistrano |
• coordinates | 33°32′3″N 117°33′17″W |
• elevation | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Length | 14.4 mi (23.2 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Right bank of San Juan Creek |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Tick Creek, Dove Creek |
Most of Bell Canyon consists of wilderness in the Cleveland National Forest and Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park. The valley is more than 1,000 feet (300 m) deep and averages a mile (1.61 km) wide, and is joined by the major tributaries of Dove Canyon, Crow Canyon and Tick Creek.