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Mattawoman Creek Bight

Location: Potomac River East
Mile Marker: Potomac Mile 78.5
Lat / Lon: N 38° 33.467' / W 077° 13.042'
Depth: 6-9 Feet

3.71

(7)

3.71 out of 5 stars

Holding:

4.50

Good, Mud

Wind Protection:

3.43

Open West through North

Current Flow:

3.17

Wake Protection:

2.71

Open West through North

Scenic Beauty:

4.00

Ease of Shopping:

1.00

Shore Access:

3.00

Pet Friendly:

3.00

Cell Service:

4.00

WiFi:

1.00

Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Sep 24, 2022
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

3

Pet Friendly:

3

Cell Service:

3

Enter Mattawoman Creek by turning east off the channel near Red "46" and head for Mattawoman Green "1" favoring the southern shore to remain in 9 foot of water MLW as you approach the mark. We anchored fairly close to the southern shore about a quarter mile before Green "1" in 9 feet of water with winds predicted to be light for the night. We spent a comfortable night with good holding and were waked only a couple of times before dawn. There is a tidal current coming down the river and out of the creek so we did swing with the current changes. If there had been any serious concerns with the weather we could have moved back further into the creek entrance towards Green "3" to choose an appropriate anchoring depth. At Green "3" there is 5 to 6 feet of water MLW still favoring the southern shore.

If you use this anchorage, saying out of the creek channel is important for your comfort. Smallwood State Park on the southern shore of Mattawoman Creek is a major launching point for small boats fishing the Potomac. Often small boat traffic from the launch starts at sunrise. On most weekends during the spring, summer, and fall there are tournaments which will launch many bass boats at great speeds in a short period of time early in the morning. Staying out of the creek channel from the launch is actually a matter of safety for all concerned and should be factored into your anchoring decisions. Boats with drafts less than 4 feet might consider going up the creek beyond the marina and anchor at Grinders Wharf or beyond towards Bullitt Neck in 5 to 9 feet of water. Vessels of over 4 foot draft should consider the state of the tide when attempting to get back up in the creek.

Our stay on downstream of Green 1 was comfortable and bug free. We did have to pay attention to crab pots on entering the creek but found a clear area to anchor in. The quiet nights were interrupted regularly by train whistles coming across the river. Cellular internet was good for all three carriers. Shore access is possible at Sweden Point Marina. Be advised that some of the area on the southern shore of the creek and the bight on the northern shore are military installations with no shore access.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Cam & Jennifer Canup, Viatori, on Aug 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 47'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

5

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

1

Pulled into this anchorage in the late afternoon, dodging the strings of crab pots that stretch across the creek mouth, as reported in Navionics comments. Once in the creek, the crab pots lessen, but you still need to keep an eye out for them. Only one pontoon boat of fishers spotted in the area. They were quiet, kept their distance and left just before dusk. No other boat traffic was seen. The forest and beach were inviting. It appears you could go ashore, but we did not venture out. The evening insects were minimal, but we stayed behind our no-see-um screens just the same. The sunset and sunrise were both extraordinary. This was a peaceful and relaxing location during our one night stop. Water and winds were both calm. Protection from most winds can be found here. I suspect if winds are from the west, the water could be a bit choppy. Depths in this area are as reported. We saw between 5' and 8' under our hull. Would stay here again...no question.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Paul Cianciolo on Oct 15, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 37'
Draft: 3.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

5

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

4

Cell Service:

5

WiFi:

1

Love anchoring here. Though you need to use a rear anchor to face out, or all the small boats make a big wake going to the ramp around the corner.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Paul Cianciolo on May 3, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 37'
Draft: 3.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

5

Shore Access:

4

Pet Friendly:

4

The wake and waves are a bit rough if too far west. It gets weedy in some spots.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Thomas Whitehead on Mar 17, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

2

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Pet Friendly:

1

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

1

Spent a day here on the hook with my family back in the fall. There were about twenty boats anchored when we arrived and about the same number when we left, although I do not think many remained overnight. This is a nice area off of the Potomac to get you out of the boat traffic. As you get further back, the water quickly gets shallow, pay attention to your charts and depth sounder. It was a very calm day when we were here with little wind and we did not deal with much wake coming from boats on the river. I was able to live stream football games from my cell phone to my TV. The water was calm enough that my wife and kids enjoyed some paddle boarding. Although this is not our favorite spot, it is conveniently located off the Potomac River and we will probably go back.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: Paul Smyers, SV Nova, on Jul 6, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 43'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

3

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

1

Pet Friendly:

1

Cell Service:

3

We stopped here because it appeared to be the last anchorage off the main river. At the end of June there were a LOT of small power boats here. I'd guess more than 50. Only about 10 stayed overnight.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do in the area, and it is quite shallow.

If the weather is amenable I think I'd rather just anchor on the Potomac.

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Review for Mattawoman Creek Bight

Reviewed by: K belinski on May 12, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.8'

Overall Rating:

3

Wind Protection:

5

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

3

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

2

This was referred to as the last deep anchorage before DC. Be warned, if the winds are blowing out into the Potomac, the water level is greatly decreased in this area. We entered and very soon our depth finder warning was buzzing. It was an hour after low tide and the lowest depth was approximately 4.5 feet. Our draft is 4 feet. We never even attempted to anchor. We inched our way into a State Park Marina there and tied up to an end dock. The water was even low there. Park Ranger told us that she had seen the water even lower when winds were higher. The next morning, we were on a rising tide, left about 2 hours before high tide and winds were calm. The water was running about 6-7 feet at the lowest.

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