Cross County Trail 7th Pohick Creek crossing 2021b

Pohick Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed August 15, 2011

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 drai ...

stream A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

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 Augu ...

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 are ...

. It takes its name from the Pohick Native American

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

once prevalent in the area. Pohick Creek forms in the vicinity of

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman Monarchy of Ireland, Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had ...

and flows southeast past the western edge of

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fai ...

to empty into the tidal Pohick Bay, which itself empties, along with

Accotink Bay Accotink refers to multiple placenames and geological features within the U.S. state of Virginia. * Accotink, Virginia * Accotink Bay * Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge * Accotink Creek * Lake Accotink Lake Accotink is a reservoir in North Spr ...

, into

Gunston Cove Gunston Cove is an inlet of the Potomac River, at the confluence of Accotink Creek and Pohick Creek in Northern Virginia. The Cove forms the northern boundary of Mason Neck, once home to the revolutionary hero George Mason and now site of several ...

, an embayment of the tidal Potomac River. Pohick Creek is a popular stream for

whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...

, rafting, and paddling, providing Class II and III rapids along a stretch between Hooes Road (Virginia Secondary Route 636) and the Richmond Highway (

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

) at Lorton. Several tributaries of the Pohick Creek are impounded by dams constructed under the

Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act The United States Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 () is a United States statute. It has been amended several times. Under this Act, the Soil Conservation Service at the Department of Agriculture provides planning assistance ...

to prevent

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, a ...

and flooding. Originally eight dams were planned, but from 1970 to 1985, only six were actually built. *

Lake Braddock Lake Braddock is a reservoir in the community of Burke in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Lake Braddock is created by an impoundment on a tributary stream of Pohick Creek, itself a tributary of the Potomac River. In 1969, the Fairfax ...

(Pohick #7) was the first dam built in 1970, and impounds the Pohick Creek in Burke. * Huntsman Lake (Pohick #8) was built in 1973, and impounds the Middle Run in Springfield. * Lake Royal (Pohick #4) was completed in 1977, and impounds the Rabbit Branch in Burke above its confluence with the Sideburn Branch, where it forms Pohick Creek. * Lake Barton (Pohick #2) completed in 1978, impounds a tributary of the Sideburn Branch in Burke. * Woodglen Lake (Pohick #3), which impounds the Sideburn Branch in Fairfax, was completed in 1981. * Lake Mercer (Pohick #1) became in 1985 the final dam completed, impounding the South Run in Springfield.

Variant names

The following variant names have been listed on the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

. *North West Branch *Poehick Creeke *Poheick Creek *West Branch

Course

Pohick Creek forms at the confluence of Rabbit Branch and Sideburn Branch in

Burke, Virginia Burke is an unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, traditionally defined as the area served by the Burke post office (Zip Code 22015). Burke includes two census-designated places: the Burke CDP, population 42,312 in 2 ...

. Pohick Creek Creek then flows southeast, forming the border between Burke and West Springfield. After crossing the

Fairfax County Parkway The Fairfax County Parkway, numbered State Route 286 (SR 286, formerly SR 7100), is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, acting as an arterial route in Fairfax County with a mix of interchanges and signalized an ...

, it enters Newington and descends into a gorge where the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail follows the creek, crossing it eight times. It then passes into Lorton and crosses

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

, the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

RF&P Subdivision The RF&P Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation. It runs from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, Virginia, over lines previously owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. ...

, and U.S. Route 1. It then meets the Potomac River in Pohick Bay about 0.5 miles north of Springfield Farms.

Watershed

Pohick Creek drains of area, receives about 43.5 in/year of precipitation, has a

topographic wetness index The topographic wetness index (TWI), also known as the compound topographic index (CTI), is a steady state wetness index. It is commonly used to quantify topographic control on hydrological processes. The index is a function of both the slope and ...

of 409.88 and is about 31.0% forested.

Maps

Course of Pohick Creek (Potomac River tributary)

Watershed of Pohick Creek (Potomac River tributary)

References

{{authority control Rivers of Virginia Rivers of Fairfax County, Virginia Tributaries of the Potomac River

Variant names

Course

Watershed

See also

Maps

References