Middle Creek (Opequon Creek)
Encyclopedia
Middle Creek is a 9.7 miles (15.6 km) tributary
of Opequon Creek
, belonging to the Potomac River
and Chesapeake Bay
watersheds
, located in Berkeley County
in West Virginia
's Eastern Panhandle.
(1644 feet/501 m) southwest of Martinsburg
. From its headwaters, Middle Creek is a small meandering stream that curves southward paralleling Poorhouse Road until its junction with West Virginia Route 45. Throughout this stretch, Middle Creek is joined by a number of spring-fed streams off of North Mountain, most of which are used for watering animals on the area's farmlands. After it passes beneath WV 45, Middle Creek continues its course to the southeast near the community of Arden
. The stream is dammed numerous times to create small lakes and ponds, as well as light rapids. Middle Creek passes under Interstate 81
and U.S. Highway 11 before it meanders to the east through the town of Darkesville
. From Darkesville, Middle Creek meanders through a series of gorges created by rolling hills before its confluence
with Opequon Creek.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of Opequon Creek
Opequon Creek
Opequon Creek is a tributary stream of the Potomac River. It flows into the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg in Berkeley County, West Virginia, and its source lies northwest of the community of Opequon at the foot of Great North Mountain in Frederick County, Virginia...
, belonging to the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
watersheds
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, located in Berkeley County
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...
in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
's Eastern Panhandle.
Headwaters and course
Middle Creek's source is located on the eastern foothills of North MountainNorth Mountain (Virginia-West Virginia)
North Mountain is a mountain ridge within the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia.-Geography:North Mountain spans from the Potomac River in the north to the community of Green Spring in Frederick County, Virginia in the south. The ridge is divided into...
(1644 feet/501 m) southwest of Martinsburg
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
. From its headwaters, Middle Creek is a small meandering stream that curves southward paralleling Poorhouse Road until its junction with West Virginia Route 45. Throughout this stretch, Middle Creek is joined by a number of spring-fed streams off of North Mountain, most of which are used for watering animals on the area's farmlands. After it passes beneath WV 45, Middle Creek continues its course to the southeast near the community of Arden
Arden, Berkeley County, West Virginia
Arden is an unincorporated hamlet located between Martinsburg and Inwood in Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the United States. Arden is the location of a number of historic sites including the Arden United Methodist Church, Trinity Church, and Ar-Qua Springs, which is listed on the National...
. The stream is dammed numerous times to create small lakes and ponds, as well as light rapids. Middle Creek passes under Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
and U.S. Highway 11 before it meanders to the east through the town of Darkesville
Darkesville, West Virginia
Darkesville is an unincorporated community in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. Established in 1791, Darkesville has been nationally recognized as a historic district.A post office and school once operated in Darkesville.-Geography:...
. From Darkesville, Middle Creek meanders through a series of gorges created by rolling hills before its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with Opequon Creek.