Elkhorn Creek, |
|
| Usual Difficulty | II(III) (may vary with level) |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 10 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELKHORN CREEK NEAR FRANKFORT, KY | ||||
| usgs-03289500 | 500 - 3000 cfs | II(III) | 01h02m | 207 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) |
"Church Wave"
The view looking upstream at "LunchStop"
Lots of dynamic play spots and wide enough to generally stay free of strainers, the Elkhorn has a
large watershed allowing it typically to keep its flow longer after a rain and is the place to
paddle when others in Central Kentucky have become too low.
Watch out for the dangerous, drowning machine dam about 3/4 mile into the run at
the bourbon distillery and portage only on river left. Note that this dam can be a very dicey
portage at gauge levels above 3000 cfs (3+ feet on US460 bridge) The picture below was taken at a
level of about 1000 cfs (1 foot).
Jim Beam Distillery dam downstream view - note boaters portaging and putting in below dam on river left.
AW Acres, just down stream of Knight's bridge is the land purchased for use as a takeout by individual paddlers and donated to American Whitewater as access of the Elkhorn for all private paddlers.

To read more about the creek, how the takeout land was obtained, and history of the paddler/land-owner interactions, check out the online American Whitewater Journal article "AW Acres: The Elkhorn Saga" that appeared in the March/April 2000 issue.
Shuttle Directions:
Putin: Forks of the Elkhorn Bridge on US 460 about 3 miles east of Frankfort,KY. Parking next to the bridge costs $3 - pay at the Elkhorn Creek Campground office just upstream on the South Fork of the Elkhorn.
Takeout: From the Forks Bridge take US 460 west towards Frankfort and take a right at the stoplight onto KY 2822. Go about 1 mile on KY 2822 to the stop sign. Go right onto Steadmantown LN (actually a continuation of KY 2822) for about 2.5 miles to the stop sign at the intersection with Peaks Mill Rd (Ky 1900). Go about 4 miles and look for AW Acres takeout on the left just before Knight's Bridge over the Elkhorn.
November 2009 |
||||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
|
29
|
30
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|