Seneca Creek State Park
Encyclopedia
Seneca Creek State Park encompasses approximately 6,300 acres (25 km²) in Montgomery County, Maryland
, USA, and extends along 14 miles of Seneca Creek to the Potomac River.
The CLDUA is bounded by Clopper Road (to the north), Longdraft Road (to the east), Great Seneca Highway (to the south), and Riffleford Road (to the west). A service charge is levied per person, on weekends and holidays from the beginning of April through the end of October. Service charge revenues are deposited into the Maryland Park Service's general fund that goes toward operating expenses.
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In addition, the park relies heavily on volunteers and volunteer groups, who perform a variety of services ranging from maintenance to operations to trail work. Most trails are maintained by volunteers, not staff.
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, USA, and extends along 14 miles of Seneca Creek to the Potomac River.
Clopper Lake Day Use Area
The developed portion of the park centers on 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) Clopper Lake. This is the Clopper Lake Day Use Area (CLDUA); it is the most well known portion of the park. Located in Gaithersburg, MD, The lake was created by a dam built in 1975 on Long Draught Creek, a tributary of Seneca Creek. The lake was created for recreational use and for flood control. The lake averages a depth of 18 feet (5.5 m), but also has shallow enclaves. Stocked with largemouth bass, tiger muskie, channel catfish, sunfish, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish, Clopper Lake is a popular Gaithersburg fishing area. Boating is also available on the lake. As a part of the park, the lake can be accessed by a series of trails, including the Lake Shore Trail which loops around the entire lake. The trails are used for hiking and mountain biking.The CLDUA is bounded by Clopper Road (to the north), Longdraft Road (to the east), Great Seneca Highway (to the south), and Riffleford Road (to the west). A service charge is levied per person, on weekends and holidays from the beginning of April through the end of October. Service charge revenues are deposited into the Maryland Park Service's general fund that goes toward operating expenses.
Hiking trails
The park contains many miles of trails, some of which are in the CLDUA. Some are also in the Schaeffer Farm Trails Area. The longest one is the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail, which follows Great Seneca Creek for 16.5 miles (27 km), from Route 355 down to the Potomac RiverPotomac 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...
.
Other uses
Hunting is also permitted in several areas of the park. See the Department of Natural Resources website for detailed information, and for maps of each hunting area.Events
Several annual special events are held at the park. One of them is the Winter Lights Festival. Since 1995, the Winter Lights festival has featured a drive-through holiday light show from November through early January, in the Clopper Lake Day Use Area.Operations
The park is managed by the Maryland Park Service, a unit of the MD Department of Natural Resources. Currently, the staff consists of 2 LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) Rangers, and a mix of civilian permanent and seasonal employees. These employees perform either maintenance or operations work.In addition, the park relies heavily on volunteers and volunteer groups, who perform a variety of services ranging from maintenance to operations to trail work. Most trails are maintained by volunteers, not staff.
History
Seneca Creek State Park is also home to historic landmarks. Black Rock Mill is a partially restored mill in the park that includes exhibits featuring a history of area floods. The Seneca Schoolhouse is a restored 19th century schoolhouse which was built for area children of local quarry laborer. Parts of the park are located on land once a part of an estate owned by the Clopper Family. Near the CLDUA, The Woodlands, an area dedicated to commemorating life for the Clopper Family, offers visitors a look into life in the area in the 19th Century along a self-guided trail.See also
- The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
was partially filmed in the SCSP - Seneca CreekSeneca Creek (Potomac River)Seneca Creek is a stream in Montgomery County, Maryland, roughly northwest of Washington, D.C. It drains to the Potomac River.-Course:The creek begins with two main tributaries:...
, Maryland
External links
- Seneca Creek State Park - Maryland DNR