Arroyo Seco River

The relatively little known Arroyo Seco River drains the eastside of the Ventana Mountains in California's scenic central Coast Range. The Arroyo Seco sustains a small population of the threatened steelhead trout, a federally protected species that migrates all the way from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the clean riffles and deep cold pools of the river.

The Arroyo Seco River is the only major tributary of the Salinas River that remains undammed. The river flows east from the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains, then north along a major fault line, and then east again into the Salinas Valley.

The lower Arroyo Seco River flows through solid bedrock smoothed by water, tumbling over numerous cascades, and forming deep pools that invite swimming.

The upper Arroyo Seco River takes you past a spectacular sandstone formation known as "The Rocks" and up a scenic canyon with several cascades and pools.

Friends of the River