Malpaso Creek

LocationEdit

The creek and its canyon also defines the northern border of Garrapata State Park. The mouth of the creek is located at Little Mal Paso Beach where there is a small white sandy beach, tide pools, and a narrow cave. The American film actor, director, and producer Clint Eastwood has spent much of his life in this area and named his film company Malpaso Productions after the creek to the north of his 200-acre property on the former Victorine Ranch.

EtymologyEdit

The translation of the creek's name, "bad step", or "bad crossing", was based on how difficult it was to cross the abrupt canyon before a bridge was built across it in 1935.

GeographyEdit

Located in the Carmel Highlands, immediately south of Yankee Point, Mal Paso Creek forms the natural northern boundary of the Big Sur coast.

Beds of coarse sand and conglomerate containing coal occur in Mal Paso Creek. The abandoned Mal Paso Coal Mine (or Carmelo Coal Mine) is located on the creek's north bank.

Fauna and floraEdit

The best known locality for Monterey pine is on the Monterey Peninsula, extending south as far as the creek. Local distribution of Pelvetiopsis arborescens occurs in the rocks near the creek, as does Rhodophysema elegans var. polystromatica. Callophyllis linearis occurs on rocks north of the creek, Gloiopeltis furcata and Callophyllis crenulata occur near the creek, Dictyota binghamiae occurs at the 1 foot (0.30 m) tide level near the creek, and Fucus distichus subspecies edentatus f. abbreviatus occurs in the creek's exposed areas. Cucumaria curata has been found in tidepools on exposed rock areas near the creek.

Along the creek's south shore, anglers fish for surfperch and rockfish.

Mal Paso Creek Historic BridgeEdit

At a cost of $24,000, Mal Paso Creek Bridge (No. 44-17) was built in 1935 with an open-spandrel concrete arch design, similar to the famous Bixby Creek Bridge, located 8 miles to the south. It is 210 feet (64 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide.

The bridge is situated 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of the Carmel River on California State Route 1. Along with six other Monterey County bridges on Highway 1, Mal Paso Creek Bridge has been determined to be National Register of Historical Places eligible. As a group, they are referred to as the Big Sur Arches, and may be the best works example of the California Division of Highways' Bridge Department.

In popular cultureEdit

Actor Clint Eastwood bought five parcels totalling 283 acres (115 ha) along Malpaso Creek during the 1960s. He named his production company Malpaso Productions after the location. The company was established in 1967 by Eastwood's financial adviser Irving Leonard for the film Hang 'Em High, using profits from the Dollars Trilogy.