Deer Creek
3. Rocks State Park to Walters Mill River Access
| Difficulty | I-II(III) |
| Length | 6.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Deer Creek at Rocks, Md |
| Flow Rate as of 55 minutes | 2.16 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 18, 2024 |
River Description
There is an option of running a two part Class III rapid called 'Deer Creek Rapids @ Rocks' located upstream of the gauge at the beginning of this run (see 2. Eden Mill Dam to Rocks State Park for the description of this rapid). A put-in below this rapid, at the Rocks State Park lower parking area to the Walters Mill River Access take-out results in a 6.4 long mile run which is rather tame but pretty. To get to the Take-out from US. 1, take Ady Road (MD 543) north and turn left onto Walters Mill Road. Follow Walters Mill Rd. to the Walters Mill River Access.
River Features
Put In - Rocks State Park
Put-in - Rocks State Park. The put-in is below the 'Deer Creek @ Rocks' rapid, at the Rocks State Park lower parking area.
Take-Out - Walters Mill Road River Access
Take-Out - Walters Mill River Access (1202 Walters Mill Rd, Forest Hill, MD 21050). To get to the Take-out from US. 1, take Ady Road (MD 543) north and turn left onto Walters Mill Road. Follow Walters Mill Rd. to the Walters Mill River Access.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportRan on 9/13/18 @ 3.09 on the gauge. This was a good level, we never bottomed out for the entire 13 miles in a heavy canoe. This stretch is mostly level 1, with some level 2 rapids interspersed. The scenery is quite nice too. We ran into 1 creek-wide strainer several miles downstream of the gauge that we navigated by squeezing in under the trunk. This would be dangerous at higher levels. As a point of comparison, we found the Octoraro to be a little more challenging.
The takeout is easy to miss. It's a paved boat ramp upstream of the Rt. 1 bridge on the left hand side. You won't be able to see the bridge from there, but you can hear it.