Gunpowder Creek
Camp Ernst Road to Dale Williamson Rd. (7.5 miles)
| Difficulty | II+(III) |
| Length | 9.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 25 fpm |
| Permit | None |
| Gauge | Gunpowder Cr at Camp Ernst Rd Nr Union, Ky |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 11 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 23, 2013 |
River Description
Gunpowder Creek is located in Boone County and flows out of Florence, KY (and the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati Airport) west through a Boy Scout camp (Camp Ernst), and on to the Ohio River. Like many of the Greater Cincinnati area creeks, this one's difficulty changes with the flow. Below 1500 cfs, this creek is a nice little Class II run with some easy surf and play spots. Above 1500 cfs, the speed of the water is quite fast and some 5-6 foot standing waves form in several of the rapids. Some of the waves are quite wide as well. The difficulty doesn't get much above Class II+ (maybe Class III- with some of the bigger waves at high water), but several blind turns into strainers make for some Class IV consequences.
Overall, it averages about 40-50 feet wide, and the banks are tree-lined with lots of big sycamore trees. It is very pretty, and very little sign of civilization can be seen anywhere along the run. Camp Ernst on river right will probably be the only buildings you see.
The best rapid of the run is at the nature preserve (Powerline) and can be identified by a powerline clearing on either side of the river. Busy water and some surfing spots are scattered throughout. This area is a wood collector, so keep your head on a swivel and take your time to avoid the many dangerous strainers that can accumulate in this area. The nature preserve is also an alternate take-out if you want to skip the 4+ miles of mostly flat, moving water after this (take-out river right). Be warned if you take out at the nature preserve - the hike out is up a substantial hill (you climb 200+ feet in less than a half mile...most of it at the end of the hike).
There are some things to consider before running this creek. 1) Out of all the Great Cincinnati area creeks, this one comes up the quickest. If you are looking to run Gunpowder, you want to be on the river when the rain stops. 2) It flashes very fast and drops very fast. Understand that the
...River Features
Bridge Rapid
Little rapid that can turn pretty big above 2000 cfs with some 5-6 foot waves.
Twin Waves
As the name would suggest, a couple waves here that offer up some surfing opportunities. An island split the river and you want to head towards the left (it's tight, check for wood). The waves are there are pretty much any level.
Gunpowder Creek Nature Preserve
Alternate take-out (river right). Have fun hiking up 200+ feet in less than a half mile.
Take-Out
Ask for permission at the driveway or find a place to park along the street. Take-out on the right.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI live near this creek, as far as water quality goes, I,ve seen decent sized fish and my kids have caught the biggest crawdads I,ve seen out of it. I practice rolls in here all the time and play on the little wave about 100 yards from my house and have not had any ill effects from being in the water.
My mother in law has talked to a guy at KY division of water about this creek he said the poop and jet fuel problem had been addressed. She had concerns about the kids playing in it.
small feature on Gunpowder at around 625 cfs
We ran this 8-4-09 at 1000 cfs (droping 200cfs per hr) At this level it was a fun run with swift moving water most of the way. It could be paddled up to 1500+cfs no problem. The largest waves were 2ft high and no danger but you will need some boat control. There were some large strainers about 1.5 miles into the run. There were previous post about poor water quality but that was not the case. The creek was very muddy from all the runoff but clean and not smelly at all.
Time 2009-08-05 03:56:00 GMT
We ran this 8-4-09 at 1000 cfs (droping 200cfs per hr) At this level it was a fun run with swift moving water most of the way. It could be paddled up to 1500+cfs no problem. The largest waves were 2ft high and no danger with a bit of boat control. There were some large strainers about 1.5 miles into the run. There were previous post about poor water quality but that was not the case. The creek was very muddy from all the runoff but clean and not smelly at all.
David'dagger'Schack - Spring flooding has changed the streambed of the mighty GUNPOWDER. At approx. mile 2.5 one will encounter a delightful class -III wave/hole that offers great surfing all the way down to 200 cfs. Ran it once at 175 and dropping and still pulled some sweet spins and whatnot. Oh yeah, keep those eyes and mouth shut,unless u like the taste of poop/jet fuel(thanks to the wonderful greater cinn. airport)