The River

Marsh Creek and Rock Creek join just south of the Mason Dixon Line to form the Monocacy River. From the confluence of these two Pennsylvania creeks, the Monocacy flows southward through approximately 58 miles of Maryland's countryside on its way to join the Potomac River. Along its course lies rich farmland and pasture, the city of Frederick, historic bridges and mills, a major Civil War battlefield, several Frederick County parks, and the largest aqueduct along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park.

Designated a Maryland scenic river in 1974, the Monocacy is a wonderful river to paddle. It is an easy flowing river that offers some excellent smallmouth bass fishing, seasonal waterfowling, excellent birding opportunities (including bald eagles), and a window into our Nation's history. It is a terrific river for young families and beginning paddlers. The Monocacy's lazy flowing waters are intermittently disturbed by natural riffles, several man-made fish weirs and mill dams, and one natural Class I-II rapid (Greenfield Rapid) just above the Monocacy Natural Resources Area near Sugarloaf Mountain
.

The Monocacy can be paddled in its 58 mile entirety, the 42 mile designated Water Trail portion, or by dividing it up into small trips of as little as 2 miles.

Paddling the length of the river requires a bit of planning and luck due to the shallow nature of the upper Monocacy River. Double Pipe Creek enters the Monocacy a couple hundred yards above the Marland State Highway 77 Access Point; Double Pipe is a major tributary and nearly doubles the flow of the Monocacy at that point.....everything north of Double Pipe only allows for seasonal and rainfall dependent paddling. The Upper Monocacy is best paddled from late fall through early spring while the trees are leafless and farmers aren't irrigating crops; alternatively, the upper portion of the river can be easily paddled within a few days of a significant rainfall. The last good takeout on the lower river is the boat ramp at the C&O Canal Monocacy Aqueduct (end of Mouth of Monocacy Road off MD State Highway 28).

Paddling the full length of the river is a really great opportunity for Boy Scout Troops to earn the 50 Miler badge. Any entry point from the MD Route 140 (Taneytown Road) bridge, northward, will exceed the 50 mile requirement. Camp sites and community service projects can be easily coordinated with Frederick County Parks and Recreation, Community Organizations such as the Community Commons, and private property owners.

The Monocacy River Water Trail covers approximately 42 miles of the Monocacy from the MD State Highway 77 Access Point to the lower takeout at the Monocacy Aqueduct.

To break the trip into multiple bite-size chunks, there are official access points located at MD 77, Creagerstown Park, Devilbiss Road, Monocacy Boulevard, Pinecliff Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, Buckeystown Park, Park Mills Road, MD Route 28, and Monocacy Aqueduct. There are also numerous unofficial access points along bridges crossing the river; two commonly used unofficial points with good access are at the Legore Bridge Road and the Biggs Ford Road Bridge.


For details on paddling different sections of the river, check out the paddling page.


Keep up with news about the Monocacy River:

September 2012: Name that stream: River board gets creative in drawing attention to Monocacy....
September 2012: 275,000 Gallons Of Waste Spill In Ballenger Creek, Monocacy River......
September 2012: Officials: Malfunction, human error led to spill275,000 gallons of wastewater released into Monocacy River.....
September 2012: Estimated 275,000 gallons of waste spill into riverMalfunction went unnoticed for 90 minutes.....
September 2012: Residents invited to name sections of Carroll County streams....


Thursday, November 13, 2014

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

September Flooding Follows Heavy Rains

Numerous roads faced closures across Frederick County on Tuesday, 18 September, following heavy rains.  The Monocacy River is in flood condition with heavily swollen waters leaving its banks in most low lying areas and along tributaries. 

Flooding conditions, road closures causing delays in Frederick..... 

Be safe and cautious while driving; vehicles can easily be swept away by rushing waters that don't appear that deep.....if in doubt, back out!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Herons on the Monocacy River

Great Blue Herons are common on the Monocacy, but getting good photos of them can be challenging. Herons are very wary birds and tend to flush far ahead of your arrival. In addition to their wariness, herons blend in with their environment exceedingly well. The photos below were taken on September 9th by my wife, Pam Tucker.



Older Mononcacy River News Articles

Doing research on the river? Simply curious about what's been written about the Monocacy over the years?  The links below are to a variety of news articles from numerous newspapers.  Enjoy.


July 2012: Lazy day on the riverMonocacy Water Trail is perfect excursion in summer weather.......
April 2012: Potomac watershed cleanup set for Saturday - Volunteers to target six sites in Frederick; 250 tons of trash was found last year....
April 2012: ‘Everyone lives downstream’Which watershed do you live in?...
April 2012:Thousands expected for Potomac Watershed cleanup this weekend...
December 2011: City Notes — Water warnings lifted
December 2011: Carroll Creek, Monocacy River water quality consistent with pre-spill conditions
December 2011: Little-known battle had big impact
December 2011: City of Frederick releases details, timeline of sewage spill
December 2011: Official says spill caused by explosion
December 2011: Gas House Pike reopened after problem at sewer plant
November 2011: Flood warning issued for Monocacy River; road closures; wind advisory issued
November 2011: POTOMAC RIVER:
November 2011: A better way to treat water
October 2011: Catoctin Aqueduct back
October 2011: 'Pipe dream' turns 'miracle'
October 2011: Bridge Building: Project is another piece of Monocacy construction puzzle
October 2011: OUTDOOR NOTES
September 2011: Road closures in Frederick County
September 2011: Rain garden rises
September 2011: Rain brings floods, water rescues, closed roads
September 2011: Rainfall expected into next week
September 2011: Roads closed in Frederick County due to high water
September 2011: Flash flood watch in effect; Flood watch extended for Monocacy River
September 2011: Flood warning issued for Monocacy River
September 2011: Flash flood watch extended, flood watch issued for Potomac, Monocacy rivers
September 2011: Frederick area under flash-flood watch
August 2011: County assesses quake damage
August 2011: Clean water for Frederick County and the bay
August 2011: The Civil War, personalized
July 2011: Walkersville Southern Railroad is both journey and destination
July 2011: Work planned for two bridges
July 2011: Bridge work closes one lane of Md. 26 over the Monocacy River
July 2011: Around Town — Too hot to handle
July 2011: Remembering Monocacy: Re-enactors take on ‘battle that saved Washington’
July 2011: Historic canal is a natural playground
June 2011: Faithful gather for baptisms at Monocacy River
June 2011: Texas man located after Monocacy River search
June 2011: Man missing along Monocacy found
June 2011: Sixes Bridge Road closed at county line
June 2011: Swimmer’s body found
May 2011: Missing swimmer found dead
May 2011: Reichs Ford Road over Monocacy River reopened
May 2011: Compass
May 2011: Embattled view
May 2011: Mount Airy volunteer works to clean up Monocacy River
April 2011: Wetlands continue to flourish and grow with students’ help
April 2011: Weekend forecast calls for rain, possible flooding
April 2011: Final campsite attacker gets 12 years
April 2011: Tornadoes, flooding wreak havoc on Frederick County
April 2011: Heavy rains cause flooding; five water-related rescues
April 2011: Monocacy River cleanup planned
April 2011: OUTDOOR NOTES
March 2011: Amateur archaeologist helps to unearth history at Monocacy National Battlefield
March 2011: Canoeists fall into Monocacy River, emerge unhurt
March 2011: County highway crews clean up after flooding
November 2011: Recalling the fluid history of Liberty Reservoir, Oakland Mill
March 2011: Flooding strikes parts of county
March 2011: Flooding closes Frederick County roads
March 2011: C&O Canal Park prepares for flooding
March 2011:Flood warning extended to Sunday
March 2011: Flooding likely in Frederick County; Monocacy River crest expected to reach nearly 20 feet
March 2011: Flood warning issued for Thursday afternoon
March 2011: Man rescued after vehicle stalls in water
March 2011: Flood warning in effect for Monocacy River, Frederick; some roads remain closed
March 2011: Reichs Ford Road to temporarily close at CSX railroad crossing, Monocacy River Bridge
February 2011: City Notes: Clustered Spires named best golf course — again
February 2011: Hunters as locavores
July 2011: Child dies after being pulled from waters off Sandy Point State Park
April 2011: Industry encroaches on Maryland's Civil War battlefields
October 2010: Five for fall
Auguts 2010: Student looks to answer questions on slave village
June 2010: Native site on Patuxent could date to 1000 B.C.
January 2010: Strong Winds, Heavy Rain Knock Out Power, Close Schools And Roads
January 2010: Windy, rainy weather causes widespread power outages
March 2009: War sites embattled
September 2009: History And Habitats
June 2008: Frederick revives debate on growth
March 2008: Civil War history is on the march
October 2007: No relief in sight for state
October 2007:`King' crawdaddy invades the state
August 2007: A `structurally deficient' bridge
August 2007: Officials propose transit plans
March 2007: Carroll Digest
August 2006: Native brook trout are in hot water
July 2006: Campers find fun in the great outdoors
June 2006: Rain not done here yet
January 2006: Study sees room to improve conservation program
January 2006: U.S. program that pays farmers for conservation needs improvement, bay foundation says
July 2005: State likely to OK sludge for farms
July 2005: Echo Of The Industrial Revolution
July 2004: Try the Gunpowder for smallmouths
April 2004: Neglect imperils `a treasure'
February 2004: Rush of freezing rain leaves a slippery, dangerous mess
January 2004: Charles Fisher, 76, military history professor
December 2003: Snowmelt, rain leave area roads flooded
December 2003: Heavy rain, snowmelt cause widespread flooding in Carroll
September 2003: New storm out-rains Isabel in area
September 2003: Second dousing floods county
September 2003: `Nothing to do but wait' for Isabel
September 2003: 31 days till taps run dry in Frederick
August 2002: Md. drought deepens, no relief in sight....
June 2002: Miles from the bay, sowing seeds of help
May 2002: Paddling the Monocacy
March 2002: Trouble bubbles up at Bartlett's place
December 2001: Fate of Gettysburg trees sparks new disagreement
September 2001: Remembering terrible days ...
June 2001: Fast-growing Frederick set for a dry spell
February 1998: Site plan for gas station needs to be revised to receive county approval
February 1996: Officials tour county, assess need for flood disaster relief
January 1993: Taneytown * Union Bridge * New Windsor * Uniontown
April 1993: Heavy rains, melting snow close 2 roads West county area known for flooding
September 1991: Environmental Officials Call For Monocacy Board
March 1991: Monocacy Vote Soon




Sunday, September 9, 2012

Name Monocacy Tributary Contest

.............don't forget to do your research to name one of six tributaries to the Scenic Monocacy River.  Details are in the August post in the archives.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Weekend Paddle on the Monocacy

Any weekend is a good weekend to be paddling, but Sunday's weather looks terrific.  If you decide to kayak, canoe, or float the Monocacy, take the time to share your experience by posting a brief trip report.   

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Name a Monocacy Tributary Contest

Wow! What a neat opportunity......The Monocacy Scenic River Citizens Advisory Board is holding a competition to name 6 tributaries to the Monocacy River.  The deadline for entries is 31 December.  Follow this MSRCAB Contest link for details.  Good luck!