The North Yuba River is the main tributary of the Yuba River

Yuba River

The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...

 in northern

Northern California

Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

 California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The river is about 61 miles (98.2 km) long and drains from the Sierra Nevada westwards towards the foothills between the mountains and the Sacramento Valley

Sacramento Valley

The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...

.

It rises on the Sierra Crest

Sierra Crest

The Sierra Crest is a ~ generally north-to-south ridgeline that demarcates the broad west and narrow east slopes of the Sierra Nevada and that extends as far east as the Sierra's topographic front...

 about 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of Sierraville

Sierraville, California

Sierraville is a census-designated place in Sierra County, California, United States. It is at the southern end of the huge Sierra Valley which is used primarily as pasture and is also at the junction of California State Route 49 and California State Route 89 southwest of Loyalton. Sierraville has...

. The river flows west through meadows, then south into a gorge, turning west again, followed by California State Route 49

California State Route 49

State Route 49 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that passes through many historic mining communities of the 1849 California gold rush. Highway 49 is numbered after the "49ers", the waves of immigrants who swept into the area looking for gold, and a portion of it...

. The river's four major tributaries, the Downie River, Goodyears Creek, Canyon Creek and Slate Creek, enter from the right before the river abruptly turns south at the New Bullards Bar Reservoir

New Bullards Bar Reservoir

New Bullards Bar Reservoir is a large reservoir in northeastern Yuba County, California, at an elevation of in the Tahoe National Forest and about 30 miles northeast of Yuba City, California. The reservoir is formed by New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Fork of the Yuba River, a tributary of the...

, formed by the New Bullards Bar Dam

New Bullards Bar Dam

New Bullards Bar Dam is a dam in California on the North Yuba River and forms the New Bullards Bar Reservoir, which has a capacity of . It is located near the town of Dobbins in Yuba County. The dam is operated by the Yuba County Water Agency for irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power...

. The dam is situated right above the river's mouth; just after the North Yuba leaves the dam it empties into the Middle Yuba River and forms the Yuba River.