Rock Creek

Rock Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River, in the United States, that empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The 32.6-mile creek drains about 76.5 square miles. Its final quarter-mile is affected by tides.

Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY 2.0.

Type: Stream
Description: tributary of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, D.C., in the United States
Also known as: “Gold Creek”, “Pine Creek”, “Rock Creek (Potomac River tributary)”, and “Rock Creek (Potomac River)”

Places of Interest

Highlights include John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Tidewater Lock.

John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Theater building

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, serving as a "living memorial" to John F.

Tidewater Lock

River

Photo: Bonnachoven, CC0.

The Tidewater Lock is a dam in Washington, D.C., west of the mouth of Rock Creek at the Potomac River, on the east side of Georgetown. Built to connect the Potomac and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, opened in 1831, it was a busy maritime intersection during several decades of the canal's heyday.

Lincoln Memorial

Photo: UpstateNYer, Public domain.

The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the National Mall of Washington, D.C. The memorial is built in a neoclassical style in the form of a classical temple.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Foggy Bottom and Georgetown.

Foggy Bottom

Suburb

Photo: bootbearwdc, CC BY 2.0.

Foggy Bottom is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States, located in the city's northwest quadrant. It stretches west of the White House towards the Potomac River, north of the National Mall, east of Georgetown, south of the West End neighborhood and west of Downtown.

Georgetown

Photo: Peterfitzgerald, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Georgetown is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., south of Upper Northwest and west of Dupont Circle. It is the oldest part of the city, with buildings dating back to 1751.

West End

Photo: Dschwen, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The West End of Downtown D.C. is the area immediately west of downtown. This guide focuses on the areas of K Street, the West End and Foggy Bottom neighborhoods.

Rock Creek

Categories: river and body of water
Location: Washington, D.C., Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
View on OpenStreetMap

Latitude

38.89956° or 38° 53′ 58″ north

Longitude

-77.0572° or 77° 3′ 26″ west

Elevation

3 feet (1 metre)

Open location code

87C4VWXV+R4

GeoNames ID

4140203

Wikidata ID

Q2352739

This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia.

We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover Rock Creek from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

From Asturian to Venetian—“Rock Creek” goes by many names.

Asturian: “Ríu Rock Creek”
Catalan: “Rock Creek”
Cebuano: “Rock Creek (suba sa Tinipong Bansa, District of Columbia)”
Cebuano: “Rock Creek”
Chinese: “岩溪”
Chinese: “罗克河”
Chinese: “罗克溪”
Dutch: “Rock Creek”
French: “Rock Creek”
German: “Rock Creek, Potomac River”
German: “Rock Creek”
Italian: “Rock Creek”
Korean: “록 크릭”
Norwegian Bokmål: “Rock Creek”
Occitan (post 1500): “Rock Creek”
Polish: “Rock Creek”
Slovenian: “Rock Creek”
Urdu: “راک کریک (دریائے پوٹومیک معاون دریا)”
Urdu: “راک کریک”
Venetian: “Rock”

Places with the Same Name

Discover other places named “Rock Creek”.

Localities in the Area

Explore places such as Rock of Dumbarton and Georgetown Historic District.

Notable Places Nearby

Highlights include Tidewater Lock and The Mole.

Washington, D.C.: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into West End, East End, Georgetown, and Shaw.

Curious Places to Discover

Uncover intriguing places from every corner of the globe.