Three Rivers, California
28 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1904 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Woodlake-Three Rivers census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93271. It stands on North Fork Kaweah River. The Survey maps it on the Kaweah quadrangle. 2,053 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 843 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1904 to 1986The same ground, surveyed 82 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1904 against another survey:
On record in Three Rivers
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 8 records
Ash Mountain Entrance Signlisted 1978
Bearpaw High Sierra Camplisted 2016
Cattle Cabinlisted 1977
Giant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic Districtlisted 1978
Moro Rock Stairwaylisted 1978
Redwood Meadow Ranger Stationlisted 1978
Squatter's Cabinlisted 1977
Tharp's Loglisted 1977
Population over time
2 figuresThree Rivers fell from 2,182 to 2,053 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,182 | |
| 2020 | 2,053 | -129 (-6%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 28 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1904 USGS Kaweah quadrangle1:125000
- 1909 USGS Kaweah quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1937 USGS Kaweah quadrangle1:125000
- 1948 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Kaweah quadrangle1:62500, 5 printings
- 1958 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1966 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Three Rivers quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Kaweah quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
150 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 150 fires within 5 miles of Three Rivers between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,188 acres in total. 13 started naturally. 19 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 30 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 19 |
| Natural | 13 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Tulare Unit | LEMON |
| 8 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Tulare Unit | TUU-7168 - SLICK ROCK |
| 30 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Tulare Unit | WHITNEY |
| 30 September 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.5 acres | Tulare Unit | GOLF |
| 3 September 2017 | Natural | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | CA-TUU-MYNATT |
| 29 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Tulare Unit | SIERRA DR THREE_RIVERS 7 |
| 26 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7.0 acres | Tulare Unit | BLOSSOM |
| 25 September 1993 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | KAWEAH |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 18 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 18 workings within 5 miles of Three Rivers: 8 occurrences, 5 past producers, 2 producers, 2 unknowns. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Tungsten, Limestone, General, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Molybdenum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britten Granite Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Britten Limestone Deposit | Calcium | Occurrence | ||
| Carter Deposit | Feldspar | Past Producer | ||
| Kaweah Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Molybdenum | Unknown | ||
| Allen | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Alles | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Blossom Peak Limestone | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Fort Hill | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Lavelle Deposit | Limestone, General | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
21 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Three Rivers in 21 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 15 flood, 2 wildfire, 2 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2003 | Wildfire | Three Rivers | $1,540,000 | The Paradise 2 Fire was lightning ignited at 2300 PST on September 25th and had previously been reported as part of the Kaweah-Kern Complex in September Stormdata. By the end of October this specific fire had consumed 1,298 acres at a cost of $1.54M. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | $1,000,000 | The Tulare County Emergency Manager reported that the town of Three Rivers was trapped behind flood waters moving over the egress route. This resulted in several emergency response personnel being trapped behind the flood waters who were in place to limit flood waters impact on structures. |
| October 2009 | Heavy Rain | Three Rivers | $5,000 | The California Highway Patrol reported power lines and poles downed due to heavy rain near the intersection of South Fork Dr and Blossom Dr near Three Rivers. |
| October 2025 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | CHP Reports rock slide at junction of Eastbound Route 198 and Horse Creek Campground. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | Public report of the roadway flooded and rock and mudslides on eastbound SR 198 near Dinely Rd. and Craig Branch Rd. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported the bridge flooded on N. Fork Dr. near SR 198. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on S. Fork Dr. at Heidi Dr. in Three Rivers. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported on SR 198 at Sierra Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding, rocks and debris on SR 198 east of Encina Ave. in Three Rivers. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on SR 198 west of Pierce Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported SR 198 flooded in Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flash Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reports mud slide and boulders blocking Mineral King Road near Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Debris Flow | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol report of mud, dirt, and rock partially blocking Mineral King Road and Highway 198 intersection near Hammond. Traffic was able to move around the obstruction. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on Highway 198 and water flowing over Airport Drive and Upper North Fork bridges in Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | Tulare County Official reported that the bridge at Kaweah River Drive was closed due to flooding northeast of Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on Highway 198 and Craig Ranch Road northeast of Three Rivers. |
| February 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported debris blocking roadway due to recent roadway flooding from heavy rain on Mineral King Road near Mitchel Ranch near Oak Grove. |
| April 2010 | Heavy Rain | Three Rivers | - | The rainfall for the 24 hour period was 2.09 inches. |
| November 2003 | Wildfire | Three Rivers | - | The Paradise 2 Fire was lightning ignited at 2300 PST on September 25th and had previously been reported as part of the Kaweah-Kern Complex in September Stormdata. By the first of November this specific fire had consumed 1,298 acres at a cost of $1.54M and accounted for in earlier months. |
| April 2006 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | no account filed |
| November 2001 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Three Rivers | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q601394 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661569. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.












