Malpaso Creek is a small, coastal stream south of Carmel in Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...

, USA. It is the northern border of Big Sur

Big Sur

Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...

 in central coastal California

Central Coast of California

The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County...

. The mouth of the creek is located at Little Malpaso Beach where there are tide pools and a narrow cave. The American film actor, director, and producer Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

 has spent much of his life in this area and named his film company Malpaso Productions

Malpaso Productions

Malpaso Productions, originally known as The Malpaso Company, is Clint Eastwood's production company. It was established in 1967 by Eastwood's financial adviser Irving Leonard for the film Hang 'Em High, using finances from the Dollars trilogy...

 after the creek on his property.

Etymology

Before a bridge was built across it, the abrupt canyon was difficult to cross, inspiring its name.

Geography

Located in the Carmel Highlands

Carmel Highlands, California

Carmel Highlands is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located south of Carmel-by-the-Sea , at an elevation of 318 feet . Carmel Highlands is located between Carmel to the north, and Big Sur to the south, and is close to Point Lobos State Reserve...

, immediately south of Yankee Point, Malpaso Creek forms the natural northern boundary of the Big Sur coast.

Beds of coarse sand and conglomerate containing coal occur in Malpaso Creek. The abandoned Malpaso Coal Mine (or Carmelo Coal Mine) is located on the creek's north bank.

Fauna and flora

The best known locality for Monterey pine is on the Monterey Peninsula

Monterey Peninsula

The Monterey Peninsula is located on the central California coast and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County including the resort and community of Pebble Beach.-Monterey:...

, extending south as far as the creek. Local distribution of Pelvetiopsis arborescens occurs in the rocks near the creek, as does Rhodophysema elegans var. polystromatica. Callophyllis linearis occurs on rocks north of the creek, Gloiopeltis furcata and Callophyllis crenulata occur near the creek, Dictyota binghamiae occurs at the 1 foot (0.3048 m) tide level near the creek, and Fucus distichus subspecies edentatus f. abbreviatus occurs in the creek's exposed areas. Cucumaria curata has been found in tidepools on exposed rock areas near the creek.

Along the creek's south shore, anglers fish for surfperch and rockfish

Rockfish

Rockfish may refer to one of the following fishes:* One of several species in the Sebastes genus of the Sebastidae family, including the Shortraker rockfish, Rougheye rockfish, Blue rockfish, Yellow tail rockfish and many others....

.

Malpaso Creek Historic Bridge

At a cost of $24,000, Malpaso Creek Bridge (No. 44-17) was built in 1935 with an open-spandrel concrete arch design. It is 210 feet (64 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide.

The bridge is situated 4.5 miles south of the Carmel River

Carmel River

The Carmel River is a river on the Central Coast of California in Monterey County that originates in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The river flows northwest through the Carmel Valley with its mouth at the Pacific Ocean south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is often considered the northern boundary of Big Sur...

 on California State Route 1

California State Route 1

State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...

. Along with six other Monterey County bridges on Highway 1, Malpaso Creek Bridge has been determined to be National Register of Historical Places eligible. As a group, they are referred to as the Big Sur Arches, and may be the best works example of the California Division of Highways'

California Department of Transportation

The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...

Bridge Department.