The surficial geology in its vicinity mainly consists of alluvial terrace, alluvium, Wisconsinan Till, and bedrock.

However, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, fill, alluvial fan, peat, and wetlands also occur.

From the western end of the swamp, it flows west-southwest for a short distance before turning south and entering a much deeper valley.

Its valley then becomes narrower and shallower as it turns south-southwest for a few miles, receiving one unnamed tributary from the left and another from the right.

The creek turns south for more than a mile and its valley becomes broader and deeper again as it flows past the base of a mountain known as Pinnacle Rock.

The creek receives another unnamed tributary from the left before turning west for several tenths of a mile, still flowing through a deep valley.

[4] The peak annual discharge of Gardner Creek at its mouth has a 10 percent chance of reaching 2350 cubic feet per second.

[1] For most of the length of Gardner Creek, the surficial geology on the floor of its valley consists mainly of alluvium.

Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, fill, alluvial fan, peat, and wetlands also occur in the surficial geology in the vicinity of the creek.

[10] Elias Smith came from New Jersey and settled in an undeveloped part of Newton Township in 1816 and purchased a tract of 400 acres (160 ha) along Gardner Creek.

A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying State Route 3006 was built over the creek in Newton Township in 1951.

A concrete slab bridge with a length of 22.0 feet (6.7 m) long and carrying State Route 3009 was built over the creek in 1988 in Ransom Township.

A prestressed box beam or girders bridge with a length of 88.9 feet (27.1 m) long and carrying State Route 3007/Evergreen Road was built across the creek in 1999 in Ransom Township.

For this reason, Ransom Township received $7000 in Federal Disaster Assistance Administration Funds to restore the creek's streambanks.