Seneca Creek

Put in at Block Rock Mill and floated all the way down nearly 8 miles to Riley's Lock for take-out.  Great trip.  Beautiful, serene, and peacefulfloat with lots of tree cover overhead and dappled shade throughout. Truly a delightful place right in the heart of Montgomery County, MD that feels like you're out in the middle of nowhere.  Spotted lots of wildlife including herons, ducks, golden finches, cardinals, turtles, a beaver, and a bald eagle.  Flow rate was 136 CFS--very runnable with only a couple scrapes and two 1-minute portages through shallow water.  We were able to float around almost all the strainers with a very quick portage over one large trunk no problem--only out of the boat for a minute or so.  Lots of fun Class I rapids, maybe one or two could be considered Class II, a couple little 1-2 foot drops (including the one right under the bridge at MD-28, and lots of fast, curvy flowing water and ripples that provide some fun maneuvering challenges with the strainers, shallow water spots, rocks, etc, and curves in the creek.  Just watch where the water is flowing the fastest and flow with it for the best and most fun float.  Lots of great parking at Riley's Lock, but Black Rock Mill only has a few parking spots so you have to get there early.  Only about a 12-minute shuttle between the two, and you get a 3+ hour float with no stopping.  You can put in right there on the side where the mill and parking lot are, but if you portage across the one-lane bride and slightly up the creek (only 3 mins portage), you can put in just upstream of the Black Rock Mill rapids and enjoy them right out of the gate.  Took us right at about 3 hours.

4/16/22 - We put in at Seneca Ridge & Greenway Trail Parking lot (mile 4.2) and came across 4 massive strainers where we had to either carry our kayaks around or get out and climb/maneuver over the fallen trees.

https://goo.gl/maps/yyU5UXwn9HVkCyZYA (39°07'56.9'N 77°16'36.1'W)
https://goo.gl/maps/LMFak7ncAL62Zjsv9 (39°08'01.6'N 77°16'41.9'W)
https://goo.gl/maps/2h1qpg7p8myoN2V47 (39°07'43.0'N 77°19'26.1'W)
https://goo.gl/maps/LMFak7ncAL62Zjsv9 (39°08'01.6'N 77°16'41.9'W)

There were plenty of other minor strainers that you could limbo under or squeeze through but we didn't bother noting those. The cfs was ~94 and we bottomed out quite a bit. I wouldn't recommend running this until the water level is a bit higher.

We put out at the end of this run, at the Potomac.

Strainer Report 27 June 2020:

The massive strainer 3/4 mile below Rt28 is now even worse. You could “limbo” under the far left side previously, at flow rates in the sub-250 CFS range. Now, there is another log tangle immediately after the limbo spot, right at water level. Only way through is a VERY dicey pull yourself under manouver to get past it. Also, the creek channel bottom under this strainer is DEEPLY undercut. Probably 8-10 feet deep, with limbs and flotsam intertwined in it. Total death trap. Needs to be cut out NOW.

There’s another strainer upstream of the Tschiffley Mill Dam pool, requiring a VERY precise leftward pivot at the exact moment, in order not to get pinned against the right bank and front of the strainer. This is another tough spot, and dumped half the people in our group as they tried to negotiate it.

The last strainer is downstream of Berryville Road. Easily passed underneath in two places, but it’s a recently fallen tree, and will get lower and lower as time passes, making it more difficult in the future.

The first strainer below Rt28 is the truly dangerous one though, and that’s the one MoCo Parks needs to focus on cutting out before it drowns someone.

Seneca Creek status May 2020, RT 28 to Potomac River

Gage height at Dawsonville, 2.35 ft, 126 cfs

Enough flow for easy paddling the entire trip except for a couple scrapes on shallow gravel riffles here and there.

Two spots with trees entirely across creek. First one is about 3/4 mile from 28, and is extremely large, but allows for a VERY low “limbo” passage at the far left bank of the creek. This would NOT be possible under greater flow conditions, and this would be a very dangerous strainer at higher flows. The second tree is about 1/2 mile below the first one, and offers a easy portage around the gravel bar on the right bank. This is a smaller tree, and could be easily cut out with a chain saw.

There is a tree across the lip of the rubble dam at the mill near Berryville Road. It blocks the best chute, leaving very bumpy rocky passages to the right and left. A good option at this flow level is left side, “dog walking” the boat down on a rope and reboarding at the bottom of the rapid.

There are other trees, but none except those two mentioned above block the entire creek. The rest offer at least some clear passage without difficulties.

Below the mill dam, the rest of the trip down to the Potomac is very easy. There is a massive logjam at the River Road bridge, but it is passable on the far right side.

2.35 ft is about perfect for conditions as they are now. Another 6” of river level would make it impossible to get under the first strainer.

Word is that lower Seneca Creek - below MD route 28 -- is free of riverwide blockages. The run should be good to go this fall as the water level gets higher with some drought-quenching rain. Major storms/floods are another matter.

Seneca Creek Update
*Seneca Creek park rangers just completed chain saw certification from MD DNR and plan to help keep Seneca clear of strainers and /or portage trails clear and marked. The park has acquired a new fleet of canoes and rec boats and has a draft plan to expand their paddling program from just at the lake to include the creek too. Pending approval from Annapolis, they expect to be able to roll out the program this summer.
Meanwhile, here’s the latest strainer report:
Riffle Ford to Black Rock Rd

THREE river-wide tree blockages that required portaging all of which involved steep banks I'd call the portages class three -- 10' elevation gains and a lot of elbow grease to complete. The logs are huge; I don't think the park can cut them easily cut them out. I'd stick with the section from 28 to Rileys while it's reportedly clear.
Black Rock Rd to 28: One massive log jam that had a long, easy drag around on River left earlier this spring but it now badly overgrown. The park may cut a new portage there on river-right, but for now I'd say Rt. 28 is the head of navigation.
MD Rt 28 to Riley’s Lock:
Currenlty clear of river-wide blockages! In addition, the park staff has removed the logs and flotsam that made the Berryville PI/TO a bit of a pain.

Hi all, here's the latest strainer report that I got from a Seneca
Creek State Park staffer on 10/22/18:
'The last report on Seneca Creek that I got was that the last big rainstorm all but cleared out Black Rock to Berryville, but that Riffle Ford to Black Rock (Which I agree with you is the better section) has become fairly jammed up. Fortunately, we are making plans to do a day of strainer removal some time soon, since a logjam above Riffle Ford has blocked off enough water to threaten to erode the bank enough to threaten one of our trails.'

It's great to see that a few park staffers have taken to paddling the creek on their off hours, and it was a pleasure to meet and paddle with them when CCA put together a trip for them last summer.

I've run Seneca Creek twice this summer with several Canoe Cruiser's Assn, leaders and SCSP staff to assess the strainer situation report the following as of late August. The Creek is mostly open with a few easy drag arounds/ drag overs, and a few duck unders/tight squeezes, but beware of the following: A massive, newly downed scycamore slipped off the bank earlier this year, and it's river-right root ball may collect wood. The tree blocks enough of the creek that the river-right banks got carved out during the last high water event so that logs clogging its channel got washed out as of late August. If more collect there (about two miles below Rt. 28), the best portage is on river-left, with fairly easy egress and reentry. Below there, about a mile above the Berryville Rd. access point, a new, river-wide strainer presents a more serious challenge, given the steep banks and its propensity to pile up any wood that floats into it. At the 80 or so CFS we had, we were able to hump and over some of the wood, then swim our boats through the rest of the pile. No problems below.

With more high water coming from Hurricane Florence, the situation will likely change in mid Sept. I'll try to post an update an photos later this month. Meanwhile see the CCA Facebook page for phots from our last trip.

Mike Martin running 'Black Rock Rapid' on Great Seneca Creek

Back surfing a little ledge between Riffleford Road and Black Rock Road.

Great Seneca Creek at Black Rock

Great Seneca Creek at Riffleford Road

Downstream panoramic photo of the old mill dam from the Tschifflay mill (the ruins of which are just off river road on the western upstream side of the crossing) The only 'significant' rapid of the trip which also often serves as a tubing run for locals in the middle of the hot summer.

Beautiful section of Seneca Creek below the big bend at Berryville Rd.

Ran the Seneca from Route 28 to Rileys Lock at 130 cfs on July 13, 2014. Absolutely beautiful seemingly remote creek yet very close to civilization. Low water but passable. THANKS to Mike for a very accurate trip report in June. I used the passageway you cut (literally one-kayak wide) which would have been challenging at any higher level. Now another tree is down (probably in the last day or two) but passable. Creek splits at approx. mile 4-5. Right channel is completely blocked by the broken-off top of a large tree upside down in the water - a BAD strainer. Easily portaged but at higher levels you will be nearly on top of it before you can exit. The other channels may be clear (I didn't backtrack to run them). So do not choose the right-hand channel at the split. NOTE: Several other branchy trees are down at various points along the route near to shore and parallel to the current BUT at some spots the natural current flow wants to push your boat into them = easily manageable but potentially dangerous for beginners or anyone not paying attention because of the consequences of getting sucked in. Stay alert but enjoy this beautiful stretch of 'remoteness'! I was the only one there on a hot summer Sunday in July...!

The trip report below reports only one strainer between Rt. 28 and Riley's lock.

Mike,
Here's the TR. For me pretty much a PFD. Very impressed at its beauty & isolation. The hole we made in the single downed tree blocking the creek - is passable only by kayak - it took us 20 minutes to saw our way through.
- Alf

SENECA CREEK 300 cfs 5 boats Miki leads - Sat, 1 June 2014
For our part, I came along with Miki and Barb and a couple Doug and Lisa on the Seneca Creek - which I hadn't been on since a Jim Finucane clean-up in 2001. Our cfs was 300 - only one strainer, which we sawed our way through. In at 4:10 - out at Rileys Lock at 6:30. Fine level, scarcely ever touched bottom. I was most impressed that such a pretty creek is open and available; my notes from 2001 say that there were about 8 places needing cutting out. In fact, I'm thinking of getting out the tin canoe and taking Rita down! Sunny, cool.

I paddled Seneca Creek several times this spring and found it clear of strainers, between MD Rt. 28 and Riley's Lock, but rather strainer-choked between Black Rock Rd. and 28. However, the most recent trip on Seneca Was on May 11 -- a few days before we got the 3' rain dump on May 14-15.

George, can you clarify what the strainer situation is now between 28 and the takeouts at Berryville Rd. and at Riley's?

I now live about 4 miles from the Rt. 28 put in and will try to keep an eye on the creek, will post more when I get a chance to run or scout it.

we paddled this reach on 5/23/14 lots of strainers/Trees block passage. from the black rock mill to rileys landing we had to portage around at least 20 riverwide strianers. most are very big trees that will take a lot of work to remove. river was low enough about 3.5 ft , that the strianers presented no big safety hazard but higher water trips would not be advised.

View of the boat ramp and the Seneca Creek Aqueduct near the takeout.

Panoramic view of the dam and its surroundings from the peninsular (mill race) side.

Route 28 Bridge with the accompanying low head dam underneath. Either for flood control or possibly water or sewer line protection. River right is your best bet for crossing it.

Looking upstream at the 'dam' under the bridge. It slopes from river left to river right. River right always has more water for less scraping

Looking upstream from the put-in at the Black Rock Mill dam ruins. You can put in above these if you park north of the stream on Black Rock Road.

View from river right. When you see the horizon line, the dam is coming up.

Looking up at the dam from downstream. Locals will take the scattered rock and build a sluice down the middle of the dam for tubing in the summer as a fun (and free) way to cool off.

Put in upstream of the bridge