Cherry Creek is a large, swift-flowing[5] stream in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and is the largest tributary of the Tuolumne River.

[2] The East Fork Cherry Creek,[6] 14.4 miles (23.2 km) long,[3] has its beginnings at Summit Meadow near Bigelow Peak and the Tuolumne-Mono County line, at an elevation of 9,399 feet (2,865 m).

[8] It flows southwest through long, narrow Huckleberry Lake at 7,861 feet (2,396 m)[9] and continues to descend steeply to the confluence with the North Fork at Lord Meadow.

[3] The Cherry Creek watershed has a long history of development for hydroelectric power, water supply and flood control.

The 315-foot (96 m) high rockfill dam was built by San Francisco and the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts.

[15] A 6-mile (9.7 km) long tunnel carries water from Cherry Lake to the powerhouse where it drops 2,100 feet (640 m), powering two generators with a combined 165,000 kilowatt capacity.

[17][18] Before the damming of the Tuolumne River in the early 20th century, the creek also had annual runs of chinook salmon and steelhead trout.