Seneca Creek State Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Seneca Creek State Park, Maryland, USA
iucn_category = V

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caption = Remains of the Black Rock Mill in Seneca Creek State Park
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 8
lat_seconds = 42
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 77
long_minutes = 15
long_seconds = 23
long_direction = W
area = 6,290 acres (25.45 km²)
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Seneca Creek State Park encompasses approximately 6,300 acres (25 km²) in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The developed portion of the park centers on 90-acre Clopper Lake. This is the Clopper Lake Day Use Area; it is the most well known portion of the park. Located in Gaithersburg, MD, it is a very popular recreational area for picnicking, hiking, biking, fishing, and boating.

The Clopper Lake Day Use Area 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 charged 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.

The park contains many miles of trails, some of which are in the Clopper Lake Day Use Area. 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 River.

Hunting is also available in several areas of the park. See the Department of Natural Resources website for detailed information, and for maps of each hunting area.

Also see the Department of Natural Resources website for more information on undeveloped portions of the park (including the Schaeffer Farm Trails Area, and most of the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail).

Several annual special events are held at the park. One of them is the Winter Lights Festival. Since 1995, the [http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/poi/default.asp?POI_ID=261&TOC=107;84;99;261; Winter Lights Festival] has featured a drive-through holiday light show from November through early January, in the Clopper Lake Day Use Area.

Additionally, the park was one of the filming locations of "The Blair Witch Project" horror movie. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/locations Filming locations of "The Blair Witch Project" on IMDB] ]

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.

The public may find out information about the park by checking its website, or by calling the Park Offices at 301-924-2127.

ee also

*Seneca Creek, Maryland

External links

* [http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/seneca.html Seneca Creek State Park] - Maryland DNR

References