Thornton Creek
| Thornton Creek | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Jackson Park Golf Course |
| • location | Seattle |
| • coordinates | 47°43′45″N 122°19′13″W / 47.72917°N 122.32028°W |
| Mouth | Lake Washington |
• coordinates | 47°41′42″N 122°16′17″W / 47.69500°N 122.27139°W |
| Length | 18 mi (29 km) |
| Basin size | 12.1 sq mi (31 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | USGS gage 12128000, river mile 0.25 |
| • average | 11.3 cu ft/s (0.32 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0.39 cu ft/s (0.011 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 129 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s) |
Thornton Creek is 18 miles (29 km) of urban creeks and tributaries from southeast Shoreline through northeast Seattle to Lake Washington. Its 12-square-mile (31 km2) watershed, the largest in Seattle, exhibits relatively dense biodiversity for an urban setting; it is home to frogs, newts, ducks, herons, and beavers, in addition to more than 75,000 people. From west of Jackson Park Golf Course in Shoreline, from Sunny Walter-Pillings Pond in Licton Springs–North College Park, and north Northgate Thornton Creek flows through Maple Leaf and Lake City, including the Victory Heights, Meadowbrook, and Matthews Beach neighborhoods, and empties into the lake at Matthews Beach Park.