Rancocas Creek is a
tributary of the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
in southwestern
New Jersey in the
United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing .
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 The creek system drains a rural agricultural and forested area on the western edge of the
Pinelands north and northeast of
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
and the New Jersey suburbs of
Philadelphia.
Overview
Rancocas Creek rises as two main branches in the
Pinelands National Reserve
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (also known as Pinelands National Reserve) is a national reserve that encompasses the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
The Pinelands is a unique location of historic villages and berry farms amid the vast oak ...
. The
North Branch rises in northern
Burlington County
Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly. , in
Mirror Lake, just south of
Fort Dix
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...
. It flows west-northwest past
Mount Holly.
The
South Branch rises in central Burlington County near
Chatsworth and flows generally northwest. It receives the
Southwest Branch[ from the south approximately south of Mount Holly. The North and South branches join near ]Rancocas State Park
Rancocas State Park is a protected area designated as a state park located in Hainesport Township and Westampton Township, Burlington County, New Jersey in the United States. Established in 1965, it is overseen and operated by the New Jerse ...
, approximately west of Mount Holly, near the crossing of the New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
and Interstate 295. A few hundred yards downstream of the Interstate 295 and New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
bridges, Burlington County Route 635 passes over the Creek on a bridge built less than over the average water level, but this bridge has been closed for several years and was physically removed in its entirety in 2020/2021. This bridge had the capability for the center section of the bridge to swivel from the perpendicular to the river to parallel, to allow small boat traffic through. After rehabilitation of the bridge in the 1980s, the powered mechanism was removed due to the near-lack of creek barge traffic and expense of maintenance. The bridge could be opened in case of emergency, but required manual labor to be swiveled open.
It is navigable for approximately upstream from its mouth on the Delaware.
Tributaries
*North Branch Rancocas Creek The North Branch Rancocas Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of Rancocas Creek in southwestern New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edwar ...
* South Branch Rancocas Creek
* Southwest Branch Rancocas Creek
Accidents
On April 23, 1853, the engineer of Camden & Amboy's 2 p.m. train out of Philadelphia missed stop signals and ran his train off an open drawspan between modern-day Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
and Delanco on Rancocas Creek.
See also
* List of New Jersey rivers
This is a list of streams and rivers of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
List of New Jersey rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (''i.e.,'' branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the ...
* Lists of rail accidents
* Rancocas, New Jersey
Rancocas is an unincorporated community located within Westampton Township in Burlington County, New Jersey. The name derives from the Native American word ''Rankokous.'' which was used in the name of the Powhatan Lenape Nation Indian Reservation ...
* Rancocas Woods, New Jersey
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Burlington County, New Jersey
Tributaries of the Delaware River
Rivers of New Jersey