Monocacy River: September 2012

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....