Stevens Creek rises on Black Mountain, flows through Stevens Creek County Park and Stevens Creek Reservoir, then runs north through Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Mountain View to San Francisco Bay. Its old name was Arroyo San José de Cupertino; it was later renamed for Elisha Stephens, with his name misspelled.
It was once prime steelhead trout habitat. In Cupertino a section of the Stevens Creek Trail runs along it from McClellan Road to Stevens Creek Boulevard, past McClellan Ranch and Blackberry Farm.