Little Magothy River facts for kids

The Little Magothy River is a small river, about 2.5 miles (4 km) long, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. It flows southeast of the Magothy River and north of the Severn River.

Where is the Little Magothy River?

The Little Magothy River is mostly a tidal river, meaning its water levels rise and fall with the ocean's tides. Its land area, called a watershed, covers about 2.2 square miles (5.7 square kilometers). All the homes in this area use the Annapolis zip code.

The river is entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on the north side of the Broadneck Peninsula. To its west is the community of Cape Saint Claire. To its east are houses and farms along Bay Head Road. The river flows just west of Sandy Point State Park.

How the River Flows

The Little Magothy River begins near College Parkway and US 50/301. It starts north of the Whitehall Creek area, which is part of the Severn River watershed. From there, the Little Magothy flows north directly into the Chesapeake Bay. It enters the bay south of Gibson Island.

Cat Branch: A Small Creek

One small creek, called Cat Branch, flows into the upper part of the Little Magothy River. This creek is "nontidal," meaning its water level doesn't change with the tides. Cat Branch flows under Cape Saint Claire Road.

Interestingly, in the mid-1700s, Cat Branch was dammed. This dam helped supply water through a canal to a mill. This mill was located in the upper Whitehall Creek watershed, which is part of the Severn River system.

Little Magothy and the Chesapeake Bay

The shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay that includes the Little Magothy River stretches for 6.5 miles (10.5 km) all the way to Sandy Point. Even though this area is outside the official mouth of the Magothy River, it is often included in studies by county and state governments about the Magothy watershed.