Catoctin Creek

The normal put-in at Taylorstown is heavily posted now. If you go upstream on 663 a couple hundred yards you will find an ok pull-off that has room for 2 cars. The Featherbed lane access is OK but not good.

Ran at ~8.5 feet from Featherbed ln Bridge to the Potomac. Was an excellent, beautiful run, with numerous class II wave trains above Taylorstown bridge. Taylorstown bridge was collecting wood, but the far right channel remained open. Below Taylorstown bridge, one riverwide strainer required a portage, and the last 2-3 mi consisted of class II-III wave trains with a few sloping ledges and holes that could be run without difficulty. No major hazards or dangerous rapids at this level, although down trees could easily block the creek at more dangerous sections of fast-moving water. There are many blind turns where a poorly placed strainer could be problematic.

This was at 1.75ft. There were a few really low spots where you had to either scrape by or stand up and clear the shallows. But the baby rapids were still fun!

Bob Franz and Andy Collins ran the section from Taylorstown Bridge to the Potomac River take out at Point of Rocks at 2.68 water depth, in 1 hour. The water was deep enough to have fun in the rapids in this section of the creek. Several trees down in the creek but plenty of room to get around the strainers.

Andy Collins ran the creek from Featherbed Lane to the Taylorstown Bridge at high water today in 35 minutes. The creek was open without any strainers until the bridge at Taylorstown, where a large tree spans the creek blocking downstream access.

I grew up on this creek and my family still lives in Lovettsville in the Log Cabin outside of town. We rally race the gravel roads in this area at speed and for a out of towner they can be confusing if you don't know them.....esiest way to get to the put in is from Lovettsville rd in Lovettsville. From north side of town you should bear right after the community center on the left onto Milltown road...go about five miles and take a left on Featherbed lane....this is the road that takes you to theold one lane bridge thats the put in.....Overall nice calm stream but potentiall for alot of strainers.....close to my house so I always went....very secluded with only agriculture to surround you.

I did this river after looking it up on AW. It was beutiful and there was a lot of wild life,mostly hawks and blue herons. I did it three days after reading it was at medium H2O, and was somewhat low but worth it. unlike many rivers, a road didn't parallel along side it. Try to have a good detailed, local road map because it is hard to find the little local roads but the locals helped us.Locals told me this river goes up after a good rain.