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

It flows west then southwest through the rugged granite formations of the deep Cherry Creek Canyon.

[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.

[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.