| Rocky River Tributary to Pee Dee River | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Pee Dee River watershed showing the Rocky River | |
  Location of Rocky River mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Anson Cabarrus Iredell Mecklenburg Richmond Stanly Union |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | divide between Rocky River and Catawba River |
| • location | Mooresville, North Carolina |
| • coordinates | 35°35′01″N 080°47′15″W / 35.58361°N 80.78750°W[1] |
| • elevation | 885 ft (270 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Pee Dee River |
• location | about 3 miles northeast of Ansonville, North Carolina |
• coordinates | 35°08′36″N 080°04′35″W / 35.14333°N 80.07639°W[1] |
• elevation | 190 ft (58 m)[1] |
| Length | 94.16 mi (151.54 km)[3] |
| Basin size | 1,471.3 square miles (3,811 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Pee Dee River |
| • average | 1,526.06 cu ft/s (43.213 m3/s) at mouth with Pee Dee River[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Pee Dee River → Winyah Bay → Atlantic Ocean |
| River system | Pee Dee River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Coddle Creek Irish Buffalo Creek Hamby Branch Dutch Buffalo Creek Little Meadow Creek Meadow Creek Camp Branch Pumpkin Creek Rock Hole Creek Island Creek Coldwater Branch Gilberts Creek Big Bear Creek Murray Branch Stillhouse Branch Spears Branch Coopers Creek Jacks Branch Hardy Creek Big Cedar Creek Little Cedar Creek |
| • right | Dye Creek West Branch Clarke Creek Mallard Creek Back Creek Reedy Creek Bost Creek Anderson Creek Muddy Creek Clear Creek Goose Creek Crooked Creek Grassy Creek Reason Branch Crisco Branch Cedar Branch Richardson Creek Cribs Creek Lanes Creek Little Creek Bowsaw Branch Camp Branch |
The Rocky River is a 95-mile-long (153 km)[5] river in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. It begins in Iredell County near Mooresville and flows south into Cabarrus County, where it is the principal waterway in the county. The river continues southeastward to form the line between Stanly, Union, and Anson counties. It empties into the Pee Dee River just below Norwood, North Carolina at the junction of Stanly, Montgomery, Anson, and Richmond counties, at the foot of the Uwharrie Mountains.
Efforts are being made to boost tourism and canoe and kayak recreation along Rocky River "Blueway" [6] as part of the Carolina Thread Trail.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Private, non-profit organizations have developed park lands for improved river access, but some controversy ensued.[17][18]
