German Mills Creek is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the municipalities of Markham, Richmond Hill,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Vaughan Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...

in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin and is a left tributary of the East Branch Don River. It originates in Vaughan (near Bathurst Street and the King–Vaughan Town Line), flows south through Richmond Hill and Markham, and empties into the East Branch Don River in the East Don Parklands in Toronto, south of

Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Running from Appleby Line in Milton in the west to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline in the east, where it continue ...

between

Bayview Avenue Bayview Avenue is a major north–south route in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario. North of Toronto, in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Bayview is designated as List of numbered roads in York Region, York Regional Road 34. It is 46 ...

and

Leslie Street Leslie Street is a north-south route in Toronto and York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is distinctive because of its four unconnected segments. History The road has a long history and dates back to 1850s Toronto Nursery that was run by Georg ...

. It is part of a number of streams, swamps and swales located near the

Oak Ridges Moraine The Oak Ridges Moraine is an Ecology, ecologically important Geology, geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon, Ontario, Caledon and Rice Lake (Ontario ...

. The creek's approximate length is . It is named after the pioneer settlement German Mills, founded by William Berczy in 1796. The settlement disappeared after a few years, but the creek retained the name. The Richmond Hill portions of the river snake through residential development with a very narrow greenbelt on either side of the creek. The Markham sections run through a mix of residential, commercial and light industrial areas. Duncan Woods Creek is a small left tributary that flows northwest to German Mills Creek in Toronto, at the southeast corner of Steeles Avenue and Leslie Street. There are a few undeveloped portions along the creek, mostly as parks in Markham.

Parks

* German Mills Settlers Park, (26 hectare or 65 acre natural area park) * Wycliffe Park, Markham * German Mills Creek Channel Lands, Richmond Hill * German Mills Creek Park, Richmond Hill * Bestview Park Fitness Trail, Toronto * Bestview Park * East Donlands Park * Maple Valley Park * Valley View Park * Doncrest Valley * Langstaff Park * German Mills Trail * Toll Bar Park

Communities

* Elgin Mills, Richmond Hill * Hillsview, Richmond Hill * Langstaff, Richmond Hill * Doncrest, Richmond Hill * German Mills, Markham * Hillcrest Village, Toronto

Development

* Newark Industrial Park * David Dunlap Observatory * Beaver Creek Business Park

Parks

Communities

Development

References

See also