This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.

North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)

Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay that empty into the Pacific Ocean (arranged north to south; tributaries with those entering nearest the sea first). Bold indicates rivers with more detailed lists in following sections.

Smith River

Klamath River

Trinity River

Salmon River

Redwood Creek

Mad River

Humboldt Bay

Primary streams entering Humboldt Bay are listed north to south beginning north of the entrance to the bay and continuing in a clockwise direction. Tributaries entering nearest the bay are listed first. For additional detail on Humboldt Bay streams, see Humboldt Bay: Bay tributaries and sloughs.

North Coast (south of Humboldt Bay)

Rivers and streams between Humboldt Bay and the Golden Gate that empty into the Pacific Ocean (arranged north to south; tributaries with those entering nearest the sea first): For details of the Sonoma and Marin coasts, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Francisco Bay

Streams that empty into San Francisco Bay or its tributary bays (arranged clockwise, starting at the north side of the Golden Gate; tributaries are listed from those entering nearest the bays to farthest). The Central Valley watershed feeding into Suisun Bay via the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is excluded; see the following section for the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems. For additional detail on Bay Area creeks, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Pablo Bay (north of Carquinez Strait)

Suisun Bay

Clockwise

San Pablo Bay (south of Carquinez Strait) and San Francisco Bay

For additional detail on Bay Area creeks, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta

The Sacramento and San Joaquin River systems drain the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and most of the Central Valley, forming the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta before emptying into Suisun Bay; together, they are the largest river system in California.

Sacramento River

Yolo Bypass

American River

Feather River

Yuba River

Pit River

San Joaquin River

Mokelumne River

Note: In the Delta the Mokelumne River divides into two short branches, also called the "North Fork" and "South Fork", which recombine before reaching the San Joaquin River.

Calaveras River

Stanislaus River

Tuolumne River

Merced River

Tulare Basin

Usually an endorheic basin, waters in this region all eventually would reach Tulare Lake. This region would overflow into the San Joaquin River during flood years when Tulare Lake overflowed. Streams are listed clockwise around the Tulare Basin, starting at the Kings River:

Kings River

Kaweah River

Tule River

Kern River

Central Coast

Rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean between the Golden Gate and Point Arguello, arranged in order from north to south. For details of the San Mateo coast, see List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Pajaro River

Salinas River

Santa Maria River

Santa Ynez River

South Coast

Rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Point Arguello, arranged from north to south:

Point Arguello to Santa Monica

Santa Clara River

Ventura River

Santa Monica to San Clemente

Los Angeles River

San Gabriel River

Santa Ana River

San Clemente to Mexican border

Santa Margarita River

San Luis Rey River

San Dieguito River

San Diego River

San Diego Bay

Tributaries entering San Diego Bay are arranged from North to South:

Gulf of California

Rivers that empty into the Gulf of California:

Carrizo Plain

The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed valley near the Central Coast which drains into Soda Lake.

Salton Sea

Rivers that empty into the Salton Sea:

Great Basin

Rivers in the Great Basin, arranged roughly north to south:

Tule Lake

Honey Lake

Pyramid Lake (in Nevada)

Carson Sink (in Nevada)

Walker Lake (in Nevada)

Mono Lake

Rivers draining into saline and endorheic Mono Lake in eastern California, from north and proceeding counterclockwise:

Owens Lake

Death Valley

Streams terminating in the Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.

Antelope Valley-Fremont Valley watersheds

Streams terminating in various dry lakes in the Antelope Valley and Fremont Valley (Koehn Lake, Rosamond Lake, Rogers Dry Lake and others), draining from the southeastern Tehachapi Mountains and northern San Gabriel Mountains, listed counterclockwise starting from north:

Soda Lake (Mojave River drainage)