The Gunpowder River is a tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the joining of two freshwater rivers, Gunpowder Falls (often referred to locally as "Big Gunpowder Falls") and Little Gunpowder Falls.

Gunpowder Falls

The Big Gunpowder, long, The remainder of the boundary between Baltimore and Harford counties is formed by the Gunpowder River, the tidal estuary of the Chesapeake Bay formed by the union of Little Gunpowder Falls and the Gunpowder Falls rivers.

Recreation

Both the Gunpowder and Little Gunpowder Falls flow through hilly agricultural and forest land for much of their length. In fact, there are no less than four separate state parks that form Gunpowder Falls State Park, the largest state park in Maryland. At two points, Gunpowder Falls is dammed to form major reservoirs for the Baltimore metropolitan area: Prettyboy Reservoir and Loch Raven Reservoir. By the time the Gunpowder reaches the Bay, however, it is no longer a rural river, but a suburban river that passes under Interstate 95 and many bedroom communities for Baltimore. Nonetheless, Gunpowder State Park on the Chesapeake Bay may give one the impression that this is still a somewhat remote river.

Both streams flow over the Fall Line separating the Piedmont Plateau from the Atlantic Coastal Plain just downstream of US Route 1. This creates some class III whitewater opportunities for kayakers and canoeists when the water is reasonably high.

The section of the Gunpowder River between Pretty Boy Reservoir and Loch Raven Reservoir is a popular fly fishing destination. The section of river is home to wild brown trout and rainbow trout. There is also a small population of brook trout

Tributaries

  • Minebank Run
  • Long Green Creek
  • Sweathouse Run
  • Haystack Branch
  • Jennifer Branch
  • Bean Run
  • Foster Branch
  • Taylor Creek
  • Broad Run

See also

  • List of Maryland rivers
  • List of rivers of Pennsylvania
  • List of parks in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

References

Baltimore County Watershed Management Program

  • Little Gunpowder Falls Watershed
  • Lower Gunpowder Falls Watershed