Cleghorn Creek

Cleghorn Creek drains the westernmost portions of the mountain watershed into the West Fork of the Mojave River.

< Previous <> Next >

Cleghorn Creek is the stream that drains Cleghorn Canyon on the north side of the San Bernardino Mountains. Flowing northward, it joins other tributaries in Summit Valley to become part of the West Fork of the Mojave River system. This connection makes Cleghorn Creek one of the headwater sources of the Mojave River, which eventually carries water out into the desert.

Before settlement, the creek provided water and forage for Serrano and other Native people who moved seasonally through Cajon Pass and Summit Valley. Early travelers also knew it as one of the smaller, reliable streams feeding into the upper Mojave drainage.

By the 1850s, surveyors and explorers recorded Cleghorn Creek alongside nearby streams such as Miller Creek and Sawpit Canyon. In the 1860s, the creek’s name became linked to William F. Cleghorn, a cattleman whose family grazed stock in Summit Valley. Like other creeks in the pass, its name preserved the memory of a pioneer settler.

Ranchers used the creek for stock water through the late 19th century, and it remained part of the local ranching landscape even after the San Bernardino National Forest absorbed the canyon and creek lands in the early 20th century.

Today, Cleghorn Creek continues to flow seasonally, carrying runoff from snow and rains down to the West Fork Mojave River. Though best known now as part of a recreation area along Interstate 15, it still represents a small but important piece of the Mojave River’s headwaters.