Owens Creek

We ran this stretch and then down the Monocacy River to Creagerstown Park, on 25 Sep 2021, when the Catoctin Creek gauge near Middletown was near 96 cfs. Even though we used our 17' Langford canoe for this trip and did a wee bit of damage to the hull (fiberglass and cedar strip) in a few shallow spots, it was a great trip. It's a low gradient section of Owens Creek - 90% or more shady creek with just a few open areas - and the majority of the run is riffles and Class I with a couple of Class II spots, interspersed by generally short flatwater sections. There were several strainers throughout the creek portion, but all could be navigated carefully or portaged easily. Overall, it's a really nice little creek but would run in a canoe at a higher level or, more likely, just run in our packrafts next time.