Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 66 miles (106 km) long,[3] in north central Colorado in the United States.

The creek is famous as the location of the most intense early mining activity during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859.

The creek provided the route of the Colorado Central Railroad, and later for U.S. Highway 6 and Interstate 70 as they ascend to the Continental Divide west of Denver.

It descends eastward through Clear Creek Canyon past the towns of Silver Plume, Georgetown, and Idaho Springs, all of which were founded as mining camps in the 1859 gold rush.

East of the foothills, it flows through the northwest part of the Denver Metropolitan Area, passing through north Lakewood and Wheat Ridge, then roughly along the route of Interstate 76.