Virtual Stream Walk - Middle Creek

Explore Middle Creek virtually with this online tour. Middle Creek, which crosses beneath Holly Springs Road, travels near the Bridgewater, Woodcreek, Sunset Ridge, Brackenridge, Wescott, and Sunset Oaks neighborhoods. The watershed includes a tiger salamander conservation area, and the Town of Holly Springs is actively working with other local municipalities to limit pollutants entering the waterway.

Middle Creek begins in Apex near the intersection of US 1 and N.C. 55. It travels through Holly Springs where it meets Sunset Lake and continues east, crossing Fayetteville Road (US 401) near Banks Road. It then travels a long way, collecting several other large streams, until it eventually meets the Neuse River near Smithfield.  

*Please note, some of the land adjacent to Middle Creek is private property. Do not trespass onto areas that are not publicly owned or that do not have a greenway. A public utility easement, such as the path cut over a sewer line, does not constitute open access to the public. 

Click here to view the path of a raindrop, from the start of Middle Creek in Apex/Holly Springs to the ocean.

Click and drag your mouse on the images, below, to explore the virtual streamside tour on this webpage. Or, click the "View on Google Maps" links to open the tour directly on the Google Maps platform.

Beaver Dam Near Location where Middle Creek Begins

This is a remnant of a beaver dam the Middle Creek greenway (currently under construction). Due to the dam, water was impounded throughout the woods on the opposite side of the stream. 

Do you see the little channel on the opposite side of the creek? See the orange color in the water in that channel? That’s not pollution; that’s iron-oxidizing bacteria, which is commonly present where groundwater seeps to the surface. This bacteria is generally harmless.

View on Google Maps.

Vacant Beaver Dam

Here's another beaver dam. There does not appear to be any recent beaver activity nearby.

View on Google Maps.

Stream Bank Erosion

This stream bank has suffered severe erosion due to a debris blockage in the stream. The Town had the blockage removed as the erosion was threatening nearby infrastructure.

View on Google Maps.

Debris Blockage & Litter

Here is a debris blockage that clearly shows how litter ends up in the stream. The image provides a good reminder that our stormwater runs off into the environment untreated. Everything we put on the ground, on our lawns, and on the street will eventually end up in a stream somewhere.

View on Google Maps.

Point Bar

Do you see this natural buildup of sand and rocks on the opposite side of the stream? This is commonly called a “point bar” and is usually located at the inside of a bend in the waterway. 

Point bars develop at a place in the stream where water velocity slows down enough for suspended sediments settle. Point bars are a good indicator for a feature called a “pool” where the water depth increases, hence slowing the velocity.

View on Google Maps.

Riffle

This section is called a “riffle.” Riffles are characterized by shallower waters with higher velocity and are usually located in a straight section of channel. The higher velocity of the water moves smaller sediment particles (sand and silt), so larger pebbles are typically found in a riffle. Streams generally follow a riffle-pool-riffle-pool pattern. 

Can you spot the pool section upstream and downstream (hint – you should be able to see the point bars)?

View on Google Maps.