How Deep Is the Patuxent River?

Entirely contained in the state of Maryland, the Patuxent is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac River and the Patapsco Rivers also feed the bay, as the other major tributaries of the state. But just how deep is the Patuxent River at its deepest point? Where does that spot fall? What animals might be found in or near the waters?

Let’s take a look.

How Deep is the Patuxent River?

Flowing for 110 miles, the Patuxent River reached the Chesapeake Bay with a mouth over one mile wide at this point. Here, the river is also its deepest, sinking down to 175 feet deep. This makes it the deepest river in Maryland, overall, and the deepest point of the Chesapeake estuary.

Where is the Deepest Point of the Patuxent River?

Marking the boundaries between Montgomery, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s counties to the west and Anne Arundel, Calvert, and Howard counties to the east, the deepest part of Patuxent River rests right at the Chesapeake Bay.

How Long is the Patuxent River?

The Patuxent River runs for 110 miles, from the historic town of Mt. Airy at the Piedmont Plateau to Chesapeake Bay.

Tributaries of the Patuxent River

The Patuxent River has three major tributaries: the Little Patuxent River, the Middle Patuxent River, and the Western Branch.

Animals Along the Patuxent River

As you make your way along the Patuxent River, you could spot numerous wild animals. From turtles to orioles, they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

• Baltimore orioles
• Striped bass
• Blue crab
• Diamondback terrapin
• Little brown bats
• Wilson’s storm petrels
• Grebes
• Geese
• Swans
• Teals
• Shovelers
• Wigeons
• Scaups
• Eiders
• Ducks
• Stilts
• Avocets
• Egrets
• Herons
• Bitterns
• Storks
• Roseate spoonbills
• White ibis
• Skuas
• Gulls
• Jaegers
• Shearwaters
• Terns
• Tropicbirds
• Yellow-nosed albatross
• Loons
• Sandpipers
• Curlews
• Godwits
• Turnstones
• Eagles
• Ospreys
• Falcons
• Hawks
• Kites
• Vultures
• Owls
• Flycatchers
• Kingbirds
• Monk parakeets
• Corn snakes
• Eastern rat snakes
• Common garter snakes
• Eastern copperheads
• Timber rattlesnakes
• Eastern snapping turtles
• Eastern mud turtles
• Musk turtles
• Box turtles
• Painted turtles
• Eastern spiny soft-shelled turtle
• Red-bellied cooter turtles
• Skinks
• Racerunners
• Bullfrogs
• Mountain chorus frogs
• Jefferson salamanders
• Norther slimy salamanders
• Red salamanders
• Mudpuppies
• Coyotes
• Gray foxes
• Red foxes
• Black bears
• Seals
• Bobcats
• Snakehead fish
• Carp
• Perch
• Pikes
• Silversides
• Whitefish
• Catfish
• American eels
• Eastern chipmunk
• Eastern gray squirrels
• Burrowing groundhog
• Muskrat
• Flying squirrel
• Marsh rice rat
• Beavers
• American porcupines
• Snowshoe hares
• Black-tailed jackrabbits
• Appalachian cottontail rabbits
• Eastern cottontail rabbits
• Minks
• American river otters
• American ermines
• Least weasels

How Does the Patuxent River Compare to Other Tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay?

Five major tributaries feed the Chesapeake Bay: the Patuxent, James, York, Potomac, Susquehanna, and the Rappahannock rivers. The Patuxent stands as the longest and deepest river to feed the bay, with the 937-square mile Patuxent River Basin encompassing nearly 10-percent of the surface area of Maryland.

Compared to the Patuxent River, the other four rivers are still continued major tributaries, but they don’t provide nearly as much of the water rushing in as the Patuxent. Additionally, nearly 100,000 streams, creeks, and rivers, total, run through the Chesapeake watershed.