Rock Creek Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Herring Highway
Rock Creek Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
This may look like a natural arrangement of rocks but it is really a feat of engineering. Rocks are precisely placed to build a series of boulder step pools that raise the water level making it possible for fish to swim over an active sewer line. Migrating Blueback herring, Alewife and other fish can once again swim upstream to spawn as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. These pools are part of a larger project that restores the "Herring Highway".
Please leave the rocks where they are. Future herring populations depend on these pools and channels for migration upstream.
Built in 1906, Boulder Bridge to your left crosses the creek 5 miles upstream from the Potomac River.
Rock Creek meanders 33 miles from its source in Montgomery County, Maryland through suburban and densely populated areas until it reaches the Potomac River. From there the water continues to flow southeast 112 miles to the Chesapeake Bay and another 80 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Bridges & Viaducts • Environment • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Blagden Mill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dina Merrill Pavilion (approx. 0.4 miles away); Café, C.W. Post Center, and Administration (approx. 0.4 miles away); Greenhouse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Butler's House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Visitor Center (approx. 0.4 miles away); Cutting Garden (approx. 0.4 miles away); Adirondack Building (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 99 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 30, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
