Conewago Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed August 8, 2011

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

in Adams and

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

counties in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with its watershed also draining a small portion of

Carroll County, Maryland Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 172,891. Its county seat is Westminster. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Carroll County ...

. The source is at an elevation of , east of

Caledonia State Park Caledonia State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylva ...

, in Franklin Township in Adams County. The mouth is the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the Susquehanna River at York Haven in York County at an elevation of .

Name

The name of the creek comes from the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

, meaning "at the rapids", although the rapids are not on Conewago Creek. Instead, the rapids are the Conewago Falls beyond the creek's mouth in the Susquehanna River, which also give their name to the other Conewago Creek, whose mouth is on the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Dauphin and Lancaster counties, only north of the mouth of this Conewago Creek.

Course

Conewago Creek flows east , then northeast to its mouth. The source is in Franklin Township in Adams County, and the mouth is at the

at York Haven in York County.

Watershed

The Conewago Creek watershed has a total area of and is part of the larger

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

via the

. of the watershed are in Maryland, and the rest is located in Pennsylvania. 50.22% of Adams County is drained by Conewago Creek and its tributaries, while 26.96% of York County is in the creek's watershed.

Tributaries

* Opossum Creek *South Branch Conewago Creek * Bermudian Creek * Beaver Creek (Adams County) *Beaver Creek (York County) * Bennett Run * Little Conewago Creek (west)

Recreation

Canoeing: Edward Gertler writes that Conewago Creek is "a dull creek.. if you have seen one mile of Conewago, you have seen it all".

Canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

ing and

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

ing on Conewago Creek are possible when the water is high enough (in spring and after hard rain), with of Class A to Class 1

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

located upstream of the mouth. Fishing: A small section of Conewago Creek in western Adams County has been designated as approved

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. This means the waters will be stocked with trout and may be fished during trout season. Further downstream in Adams County there is a small "catch and release" section of the creek. The creek is home to a variety of fish including smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, rock bass, sunfish, carp, channel catfish, flathead catfish, yellow perch, rainbow trout, muskellunge and crappie.

Bridges and dams

There are many crossings and dams, some of which are named: * Bridge between East Manchester and Newberry Townships *Ganoga Bridge *East Berlin Dam *Browns Dam *Dicks Dam * Detters Mill Dam *Sharrer Mill Dam *Kuhn's Fording Bridge - removed

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). It administers three programs established to document historic places in the United States: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American E ...

(HAER) No. PA-68,
Kuhn's Fording Bridge
*Harlacher Bridge *Sheeps Bridge *Iron Bridge near Biglerville

References

{{authority control Rivers of Carroll County, Maryland Rivers of Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Susquehanna River Rivers of York County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Adams County, Pennsylvania