Tributary Tuesday: Catoctin Creek (Frederick County, Md.)

Named after the nearby Catoctin Mountains, Catoctin Creek begins near Myersville, Maryland, and flows south for 28 miles, entering the Potomac River near Brunswick. Frederick County residents and National Park Service employees have dedicated the last few years to restoring bridges and waterfowl habitat in the creek’s watershed.

(Image courtesy Chesapeake Bay Foundation/Flickr)

Little Catoctin Creek converges with Catoctin Creek near Doub's Meadow Park in Myersville, a spot that's a favorite of Little League Baseball teams and residents looking to take a nature walk. Close by, a stream restoration project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation improved the creek's streamside habitat. The location now serves as a place for local students to learn about stream ecology.

Catoctin Creek transverses the quaint town of Middletown, Maryland, and the new Catoctin Creek Park and Nature Center. The nature center's activities run throughout the year. An upcoming Green Roof Astronomy Series leads visitors in star-gazing and marshmallow roasting. A springtime nature festival celebrates Catoctin Creek with family-friendly activities.

Nearby, you may be able to watch waterfowl thanks to potholes constructed by the Potomac Watershed Partnership. When it rains, the potholes fill with water and provide ducks a place to breed in spring and migratory birds a place to stop for food in winter. Before it was restored as a wetland, the property was a poorly drained agricultural area.

Further south, where the Catoctin flows into the Potomac, the restored 140-year old Catoctin Aqueduct spans the creek. Of the 11 stone aqueducts on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Catoctin Aqueduct was known to be the most beautiful. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

(Image courtesy Steve 1828/Flickr)

After a series of storms and floods collapsed two of its three arches in October 1973, the aqueduct was replaced by a steel frame bridge that allowed C&O Canal bikers and hikers to cross the creek. The Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Fund began raising funds to restore the aqueduct in 2006; the aqueduct restoration was completed this past October.

More near Catoctin Creek:

• Looking to catch some fish? The Little Catoctin is a popular spot for trout fishing.
• Volunteer with the Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance to help enhance the creek’s health and habitat
• Climb some big rocks at Catoctin Mountain Park, where giant boulders older than the Appalachian Mountains border hiking trails
• Go for a dip in nearby Cunningham Falls, the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland
• Explore South Mountain State Park, which runs from the Pennsylvania state line to the Potomac River
• Visit the home of Civil War journalist George Alfred Townsend at Gathland State Park in Burkittsville