The Mattole River flows approximately 62 miles (100 km) through the King Range to the Lost Coast at the Punta Gorda State Marine Reserve, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Cape Mendocino and 4 miles (6.4 km) west-southwest of Petrolia, California. Pacific Ocean storm waves develop a sand barrier at the river mouth forming an extensive estuary. The name “Mattole” means “clear water” and originates from the Athabaskan people who called themselves Mattóal. They were referred to as Medol or me’tuul by neighboring Wiyot Indians.

The river has 74 tributaries, some originating at elevations of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above sea level. It drains a watershed of about 194,560 acres (78,736 ha) and is used for recreation, agriculture, and municipal and industrial water supply. It also provides wildlife habitat, including for fish migration and spawning. The Mattole River is home to Chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead trout. In 2009 and 2010, only three returning adult coho salmon were counted, far below the 19th-century estimates of 17,000 to 20,000 adults annually.

The Mattole River has been declared an impaired waterbody by the California Coastal Commission. Restoration efforts are underway in the Mattole River watershed to revive habitats degraded by early industrial logging techniques, road construction, natural erosion, sedimentation, and two 100-year floods in 1955 and 1964. The Mattole River and Range Partnership—comprising the Mattole Restoration Council, Mattole Salmon Group, and Sanctuary Forest—leads these efforts. They collaborate with watershed landowners and receive funding from multiple private and public sources. Read more here and here. Explore more of the Mattole River and the Lost Coast here: