Little Seneca Creek
Boyds to Darnestown
| Difficulty | II(III) |
| Length | 3.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 17 fpm |
| Gauge | Seneca Creek at Dawsonville, Md |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 41 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 2, 2013 |
River Description
The first 1.6 miles from Boyds (Md. Rte 117) down to Hoyles Mill Road is class I. In the 1.7 miles from Hoyles Mill Road to Schaeffer Road, there are first a pair of class II rock gardens, about a half mile of flat water, then another class II followed by a class III-. The final 1.9 miles below Schaeffer Road is pretty flat. Expect about 1 strainer/mile. The scenery is nice, with almost no signs of civilization, and lots of wildlife (deer, birds, beavers).
What makes this stream particularly accessible is that during droughts there are releases from the Little Seneca Reservoir, intended to support the flow on the lower Potomac. In August 2002, the release was around 80 cfs, which was just enough to make everything runnable (and the rapids quite technical, but not pushy). The cool water is a delight on hot summer days, and the light mist hanging over the creek is alluring.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportAnybody who is planning on running Little Seneca should be aware that there are several trees that are down across the entire length of the river as of today (4/14/20) There are 2 mandatory portages in the first mile, a third around mile 2/3, and a final one right before the last major rapid at around the 4.2 mile mark.
Put in and take-out have been changed in location/maps to reflect true put-in and take-out per earlier comment.
Not sure who did the put-in and take-out for the map, but it's no where near Little Seneca. The put in is just off of 117 or if you wanna skip the slow flat water, it's off of Hoyles Mill Rd. The take out will then be off of Schaeffer Rd (unless you plan on going farther). If you're unsure of where any of this is, google Little Seneca creek in Boyds. You can easily figure out from there.
This is a tiny stream at the put-in so be prepared for lotsa wood !
Note the move to the left at the end. This move gets easier the higher the water gets.
Most of the strainers could be sneaked. This one involved a tricky move to the right.
A great deal of Little Seneca looked something like this. Moving flatwater with strainer surprises around every corner.