Piney Run is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The creek is the principal drainage of the upper

Between the Hills Between the Hills is a small valley in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia, distinct from, but associated with, the greater Loudoun Valley. Geography The Between the Hills valley encompasses the area of Loudoun that lies west of Short Hill Mountai ...

valley in northwestern Loudoun County. The headwaters of the creek are located approximately south of

Neersville, Virginia Neersville is an unincorporated community in northwestern Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is located in the Between the Hills area of the Loudoun Valley on Harpers Ferry Road (Virginia Secondary Route 671) at the foot of Short Hill Mou ...

, just west of State Route 671 (Harpers Ferry Road). Just prior to an impoundment, from its headwaters in Sweet Run State Park, the creek is joined by its only named tributary branch, Sweet Run. From the impoundment, the creek flows , to the crossing by State Route 671, whereupon the creek cuts a deep gorge, falling over its last . Just prior to its confluence with the Potomac below the White Horse Rapids, down river from the confluence with the

Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in t ...

, the creek passes through a culvert under

U.S. Route 340 U.S. Route 340 (US 340) is a spur route of US 40, and runs from Greenville, Virginia to Frederick, Maryland. In Virginia, it runs north–south, parallel and east of US 11, from US 11 north of Greenville via Waynesboro, Grottoes, Elkton, ...

and then cascades approximately over a waterfall, the only in Loudoun County.

References

Loudoun Watershed Watch
Rivers of Loudoun County, Virginia Rivers of Virginia Tributaries of the Potomac River {{LoudounCountyVA-geo-stub

See also

References