MCR welcomes our visitors to enjoy all of the recreational opportunities that Merrill Creek has to offer, but we ask for your cooperation in being respectful to your fellow visitors, as well as MCR employees, and maintain social distancing as well as adhering to all rules and regulations.
PERMITTED ACTIVITIES OR USE OF FACILITIES ARE UNDERTAKEN AT THE USER’S OWN RISK.
The MCR Boat Ramp will be CLOSED to all traffic and boaters on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 due to maintenance.
Merrill Creek Reservoir
In response to media inquiries concerning MCR’s new recreational times
Merrill Creek Reservoir (MCR) is a privately-owned property, and its main purpose is to store and maintain a large water supply that can be released to the Delaware River in times of low flow. While it is not a park or other publicly-run facility, MCR grants access to the public so they can enjoy its tranquil setting and natural environment, and participate in limited low-impact recreational activities.
Over the past few years, MCR has experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of visitors to the property, which unfortunately has led to a marked increase in the number of incidents that compromise the safety of our staff. We have also experienced an uptick in other violations of our rules and regulations, all of which have the potential to impact the integrity of the site and the safety of our visitors. The majority of these incidents and rule violations have occurred during evening sunset hours.
Because of these continued challenges, and in order to protect the safety of our visitors, staff, property and community during these most challenging hours, MCR has made the decision to establish clearly defined public recreation times. These new times will go into effect on May 1, 2023. In an effort to provide the public with advance notice, we have posted these times on site and on social media and shared the information with area organizations. While we realize that this change will require some of our visitors to adjust their routines, we believe that they are necessary in order to keep MCR, its staff and its visitors safe, and for the site to remain publicly available into the future. We appreciate the community’s understanding and support of this necessary change.
Effective May 1, 2023, Merrill Creek Reservoir will adopt the following visitation hours.
- Gates Open at 7:00 AM year-round
- Gates Close at 5:30 PM from March 1 to October 31
- Gates Close at 4:30 PM from November 1 to Feb 28
EXCITING NEWS!
Spring is right around the corner at Merrill Creek Reservoir. Come out for a hike and witness Nature’s rebirth!
