Seneca Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed August 15, 2011 stream in

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat is Rockville, Maryland ...

, USA, roughly northwest of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It drains into the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

Course

The

creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: * Creek people, a former name of Muscogee, Native Americans * C ...

begins with two main tributaries: *Great Seneca Creek, long, begins in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and flows south past

Montgomery Village Montgomery Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and a northern suburb of Washington, D.C. It is a large, planned suburban community, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s just outside Gaither ...

, Germantown,

Gaithersburg Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

and

Seneca Creek State Park Seneca Creek State Park is a public recreation area encompassing more than along 14 miles of Seneca Creek in its run to the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The park features facilities for boating and fishing as w ...

. *

Little Seneca Creek Little Seneca Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 stream in Montgomery County, Maryland, roughly northwest of Washington, D.C. Geography The ...

, long, rises in the Clarksburg area, flows south through

Little Seneca Lake Little Seneca Lake is a reservoir located near the Boyds community in Montgomery County, Maryland. Overview The surface area of the lake is 505 acres (2.04 km2). The average depth is 24.7 feet (7.5 m) with a maximum depth of 68 feet (21 m) ...

and Black Hill Regional Park, and the community of Boyds. These tributaries converge near Darnestown. Another major tributary, Dry Seneca Creek, empties into Seneca Creek west of Darnestown. The creek continues south and passes under

Seneca Aqueduct Seneca Aqueduct — or Aqueduct No. 1 — is a naviduct that carries the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) over Seneca Creek (Potomac River), Seneca Creek in Montgomery County, Maryland. The C&O built eleven aqueducts along its length. Seneca Aque ...

/Riley's Lock (Lock 24) of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal before it flows into the Potomac River. There is about a change in elevation from the stream's upper sources to its mouth at the Potomac. Seneca Creek has a

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

area of .

Recreation

Seneca creek greenway trail seneca rd entrance 20200809 103640 1

Depending on conditions, parts of the creek are navigable by light watercraft, such as

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 ...

s or

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 ' ...

s. Near Riley’s Lock there is a boat ramp into the creek which provides access to the Potomac River. An area of about along of the creek has been set aside as

. It has trails including the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail, the Schaeffer Farm Trail, and many shorter and easier trails. Parking and picnic areas are provided at various locations in the park. Long Draught Creek, a small tributary north of Gaithersburg has been dammed to form the Clopper Lake which is the centerpiece of the park's day use area. This area includes multiple picnic areas, a disc golf course, boat rentals for the lake, and restroom facilities.

History

Just west of the creek's mouth is the

Seneca Quarry Seneca Quarry is a historic site located at Seneca, Maryland, Seneca, Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the north bank of the Potomac River, just west of Seneca Cree ...

, the quarry that provided the red sandstone for the

Smithsonian Castle The Smithsonian Institution Building, more commonly known as the Smithsonian Castle or simply The Castle, is a building on the National Mall housing the Smithsonian Institution's administrative offices and information center. Built as the first ...

and locks 8 - 27 of the C&O Canal. The remains of the 1837 stone cutting mill are still intact, though unmarked; above the quarry is the restored quarry masters house. Both are within state park lands. Seneca Stone Cutting Mill

During the 1920s and 1930s Seneca was a popular vacation spot for people from lower Montgomery County and Washington who came for the cooler temperatures, boating, swimming, and fishing. There was a hotel near the canal and cottages lined the creek until they were washed away or destroyed by the several

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s that have affected this area. Unfortunately Seneca has been the site of many drownings and boating accidents over the years. Today the area is a popular local recreation area.

References

External links

''USGS Current Conditions for the Nation''
Seneca Creek —

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

Seneca Creek State Park
—

Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. I ...

''The Great Seneca Creek Watershed''
— Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection *

WAMU WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news– talk station that services the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary Nati ...

88.5 FM Metro Connection
''From Stone to Bright Red Structure: A Tour of the Seneca Quarry''
March 30, 2012. {{authority control Rivers of Montgomery County, Maryland Rivers of Maryland Tributaries of the Potomac River

Course

Recreation

History

See also

References

External links