There are approximately 3,965 square miles of land from which water drains into the river creating the Carson River Watershed. The river itself is terminal or endorheic, meaning it is one of a few rivers in the world that do not flow to an ocean.
The Clear Creek Watershed is an area of about 13.5 square miles located east of Lake Tahoe and south of Carson City. It begins in the Carson Range near Spooner Summit at 8,780 feet elevation and flows along Highway 50, through the Carson City Fairgrounds and Fuji Park, and into the Carson River at 4,639 feet elevation. Clear Creek is a tributary to the Carson River and flows year round. Click here for more information.