Nine Mile Run, known as Ninemile Run according to the USGS GNIS, is a moderately large

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 Six Mile Run, one of the branches of the

Millstone River The Millstone River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. The Millstone River begins in western Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth Co ...

, in central

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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 ...

Course

The official source of the Nine Mile Run is at . It is found between Sand Hill Rd and Old Beekman Rd in Kendall Park, South Brunswick. Another more visible source, although it is not the official source, is a long narrow marsh beside Sand Hills Road across from the intersection of Stillwell Road and Sand Hills Road. The stream flows north from the source through a housing development and intersects Route 27 nine miles from where the highway crosses the

Raritan River The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the North Jersey, northern and Central Jersey, central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, hence its name. The crossing on Route 27 is not easy to find because it has been covered with plants and greenery. However, it may be visible as a pipe on the right side of Route 27 in the area across from Stillwell Road when driving south. It can also be seen diagonal to the intersection between Stillwell Road and Route 27. From Route 27, the Nine Mile Run meanders through a wooded area and crosses Beekman Road. It then crosses Claremont Road and travels through the end of a housing development on Bennington Parkway. Continuing north, the stream encounters another wooded area, part of the land set aside for the Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, and crosses Cortelyous Road under a narrow bridge. It then joins the Six Mile Run east of South Middlebush Road in Franklin Township .

Animal life

The stream is home to

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s and several varieties of small fish. It is shallow in many areas, too shallow for large fish to live in. There are occasional deep pools that bigger fish live in. Turtles are sometimes found along the banks or in moist areas. In the marsh farther upstream, there are many

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s and tadpoles, along with a turtle that lives near a deep pool.

Accessibility

The stream is easy in most places to walk through, though the rocks are slippery from underwater plants. It runs in many places through woods with dense brush on either side, making it hard to access in most places. There are many roads that cross this stream, so accessing it is not a problem.

Terrain

The stream has varying terrain. Upstream, it is a fast flowing small stream with a generally rocky streambed. By Beekman Road, it slows down while still retaining a rocky bottom. Past Bennington Parkway, it gradually becomes more muddy and wide. Near its mouth at Cortelyous Lane, it is very muddy, slow, and wide. Some sides have steep banks. The banks are composed of shale in certain places. In one location there is a high shale cliff. It is dangerous to climb because the shale is very crumbly. Some areas have natural floors composed of rock polished smooth by the stream's abrasive action. Several tributaries feed this stream, and they have varied terrain. One that drains a pond near Claremont Road is very muddy and home to frogs. Another one that drains springs near Bennington Parkway is rocky and contains several fish.

Sister tributaries

* Cross Brook * Steep Hill Brook * Middlebush Brook

Gallery

File:Nine Mile Run at Cortelyous Road - 1.JPG, Nine Mile Run at Cortelyous Road, just before its mouth File:Nine Mile Run at Cortelyous Road - 2.JPG, Nine Mile Run at Cortelyous Road, just before its mouth File:Nine Mile Run at Meadow Ave - 1.JPG, Nine Mile Run at the end of a housing development File:Nine Mile Run at Claremont Road - 1.JPG, Nine Mile Run crossing Claremont Road File:Nine Mile Run at Claremont Road - 2.JPG, Nine Mile Run crossing Claremont Road File:Nine Mile Run at Beekman Road.JPG, Nine Mile Run crossing Beekman Road File:Nine Mile Run at Route 27.JPG, Nine Mile Run crossing Route 27 File:Nine Mile Run at Route 27 - 2.JPG, Nine Mile Run crossing Route 27 File:Source marsh.JPG, A marsh, one of the sources of the Nine Mile Run File:Pool at Source Marsh.JPG, A pool of water at a marsh, one of the sources of the Nine Mile Run

References

External links

USGS Coordinates in Google Maps
{{authority control Tributaries of the Raritan River Rivers of New Jersey Rivers of Middlesex County, New Jersey