Santa Cruz County between the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Elevations range from sea level to 3,000 feet at headwaters. Total length of stream is approximately 50 miles. West Branch includes Burns, Laurel, Hinkley Creeks. Main Branch is fed by Moore's Gulch and Bate's Creek.
Landslides are a common feature in the watershed.
The watershed supports a variety of land uses including urban and suburban development, agriculture, gravel mining, timber harvesting, recreation, open space, and wildlife habitat. The town of Soquel and the City of Capitola are both located in the lower reaches of the watershed. The Soquel Creek Watershed Monitoring project was initiated in March 1997. Fifteen volunteers have collected weekly data at four sampling sites. The intent of the monitoring program is to collect baseline water quality data on parameters which help to identify overall stream health.