Draining a large area of the Sierra Nevada, it is the largest tributary of the Tuolumne within Yosemite National Park.

The Pacific Crest Trail parallels the creek through Kerrick Canyon.

Continuing southwest, it flows through rugged and complex granite formations, receives Breeze Creek, then turns west once more for its last few miles.

It drops 150 feet (46 m) over Rancheria Falls before emptying into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, adjacent to Tiltill Creek.

Prior to the flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley in 1923 with the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam, Rancheria and Tiltill Creeks combined before joining the Tuolumne River on the valley floor.