Thornton Creek

Thornton Creek
Location of the mouth of Thornton Creek in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Thornton Creek (the United States) Show map of the United States
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 / 47.72917; -122.32028[1]
Mouth	Lake Washington
• coordinates	47°41′42″N 122°16′17″W / 47.69500°N 122.27139°W / 47.69500; -122.27139[1]
Length	18 mi (29 km)[2]
Basin size	12.1 sq mi (31 km2)[3]
Discharge
• location	USGS gage 12128000, river mile 0.25[3]
• average	11.3 cu ft/s (0.32 m3/s)[3]
• 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;^[4] it is home to frogs, newts, ducks, herons, and beavers, in addition to more than 75,000 people.^[5] From west of Jackson Park Golf Course in Shoreline,^[6] from Sunny Walter-Pillings Pond^[7] in Licton Springs–North College Park,^[8] and north Northgate^[9] 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.