elkhorn is a beautiful river Edit

Christen from Owenton I just took this trip July 6,08 and it was great!!! this was my second time out in a canoe and first time trying a kayak out. there were a few trees down but the one that was the trickiest was just before we got to the boat ramp. other than that it was nice and peaceful. I recommend this trip!!! Edit

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Whoever maintains the main page for this reach might want to consider editing the info about the fee at the putin. The one time I ran this creek, a gentleman who was either from the campground or a friend of the campground owners made it clear in no uncertain terms that the fee was not just to park but also to put in, even if you park elsewhere. Had I known the real story, I gladly would have paid up front. Instead, I got to receive a lecture by someone assuming I was a cheap bastard out-of-towner trying to screw the locals out of their revenue. According to this gentleman, the 'pay to play' arrangement is widely known among all the local clubs, etc., so I don't understand why it's not made clearer on the AW description. Bottom line is, if I ever come back (not likely), I'll pay the three bucks.

At 2000 CFS it is allot more pushy; filled with lots more and bigger rapids, and 2 things I didn't normally see were waves throughout almost the whole trip (even in the woods sometimes), and big whirlpools behind the bridge pillars. At 2000 CFS I thought portaging the dam was simple, and I watched two guys in a canoe do it quite simply, but I also watched the canoe sink after S-turn's insane rapids. I saw plenty of canoes make it past S-turn just fine, but they all had extra flotation in their canoes. I think the minimum posted CFS of 500 is the perfect minimum, because I live in Louisville 50 miles away, and I am not driving out there unless it's at least 500 CFS and I’m really bored that day. At 500 CFS there were 4 hydraulics total (none capable of holding a raft), the surf section wasn't really in at all and it was almost a scrape in are rafts. We were able to portage on the island and walk up to the other rapid on the other side, which is this big drop. We re-ran it over and over, and my brother even ran it sitting on a giant log. When we ran this creek at 900 CFS it was completely different; instead of a kiddy park it is actually scary sometimes. WARNING: S-Turn can be dangerous: At 900 CFS the top of S-turn on the left; there was a 15 foot long sideways wave(it wasn't from left to right, take a normal rapid and turn it 90 degrees so that it runs from the top of the slope 15 feet all the way to the bottom of the slope) that goes in to a giant 3 foot tall mound, and my brother would disappear behind it for a couple of seconds the drop was so big(about 4-5 feet). Then there was another 2 foot tall mound right after it, and every time I ran the second one it threw me in to the island where the creek forked. One kayaker I saw got tipped over because of the sideways wave, and that section washed up on a very shallow area in both directions, but he climbed out just in the nick of time. I realized how dangerous the creek can be and still headed no warning. I go to jump in my raft and miss, even with a life jacket on I was swept to the very bottom of the creek and held there for many seconds, heading for the huge mound. I thought maybe a huge boulder was there and it was going to smash my head, and so I punched the creek with both my fists, skin scraping off my knuckles, I flew to the surface and my raft was right in front of me. I jumped in it with the quickness right before the 15 foot long sideways little curler wave. There are no mounds at all at 500 CFS. There is no 15 foot long sideways wave at 700 CFS, but the 2 large mounds are there. I think that they are only formed as a wavetrain, and I don't think a huge boulder is there anymore, because of what I have seen at 500 CFS: nothing. At 2000 CFS S-Turn is allot more dangerous because of how much water is flowing over the island where the creek forks. I saw a kayaker get hurt and he even carried out. He got pinned on the island, then went left, and then fell and got all banged up. S-turn is very shallow, rocky, and pushy if you go left. Also where it forks it washes up on an island very hard at 2000 CFS, and pretty hard still at 900 CFS. At 2000 CFS I recommend running the right side where I found 4 back to back large hydraulics, and you won't have to worry about that island. The 15 foot long sideways wave was much larger and more powerfull at this level and it almost tipped my brother's raft. The two large mounds also greatly grew in size and even had big whitecaps on top of them. The whole entire S-turn rapid is re-runnable at 2200 CFS, and there is two different eddies you can catch on the left to do this. There is an awesome limestone ledge that we walk along, and we have spent hours and hours re-running this rapid, because it's so fun and convenient to re-run (in a raft). I have seen kayakers re-run it also. I love this creek because of it's watershed: South fork: 179 square miles North fork: 276 square miles Elkhorn: 38 square miles (only about 10 would apply to the gorge section). So that's a total of 465 square miles of watershed that contributes to the gorge section of Elkhorn. Another reason I love this creek is because it has a good lag time; after it rains all night it's ready to run the next day even in the late afternoon.

I am amused at recent comments about the Elkhorn, most of which appear to be jokes or from folks who don't know the basics. The S-turn (a.k.a. Railroad) rapid is the first significant rapid after the dam rapid. S-turn does indeed have an impressive diagonal wave, which seems to be at maximum height around 1500-2000 cfs. If you know how to do an eddy turn, you can easily avoid it by eddying right. If you have good balance and rudimentary ferrying skills, you can eddy left, then cut behind that wave. You'll be parallel to some large waves below it (hence need for balance), and you'll need to keep a vigorous paddle going, in order to avoid being washed into the island. I was once, but no harm done. But, if you are that skilled (a solid class II paddler), you might find it more enjoyable to crash through the diagonal wave with a right angle perpendicular to the diagonal wave. That eddy left of the diagonal wave is good for surfers. River info on this site is an excellent guide to running levels. It is possible to portage the dam above 2500 cfs. I have at 3500 cfs, but it is disconcerting because you cannot see where to exit at the dam (left side) until you are almost right there. The more important considerations are that at that level there is room there for only one kayak at a time, and that you want to be sure to put back in well below the dam to avoid being pulled into the dam hydraulic. Basically, if you are a novice, you will need basic boat handling skills, and know how to catch eddies. And, you should go with someone who knows the river. Avoiding hazards is not difficult (hence the class II rating). A couple rapids (particularly Double Stump, below S-turn) can pick up strainers. Boat scouting is straightforward, and if strainers are present, portages are easy. So, a good responsible guide should make for a fun trip. No guarantee you won't swimm, but rescues aren't particularly hard. Again, this is a class II river, and a great one to learn on. The surf waves make it fun even for class IV-V paddlers, so it isn't difficult to get someone to guide you through. When there is water, just show up around 11 a.m., and the old hands will magically appear soon after. This is a good rule summer or winter, just make sure to “dress for the swimm” when it’s cold.

I have actually ran the creek as low as 75 cfs, and believe it or not, no dry creekbed was exposed. At that level, the creek simply turns into a Class I+ deadwater and riffle run that is a perfect classroom for technicality 101. At that level, the S-Turn is more of the less a small ledge. However, that level is GREAT for fishing, since the creek is very clear and the fish are easily sighted.<br /> I have canoed the stream up to 2000 cfs (about 1 1/2 ft.), and at that level, the dam scared the living hell out of me, I really dont see how the stream is paddeled at levels above that....

Wow, what a run! major fun, but AVOID CanoeKentucky. Our first experience with them was great (i.e. decent prices, polite employees, great water level). The shuttle was only 10 bucks each then, and the place was staffed by a couple of guys who knew the water and could tell us the hairy spots. This time, however, was a little different. Suddenly the shuttle is 20 bucks each, the manager gets short with us when we try to talk to her about it ( she offered to let us put in upstream, float down, then give one of us a ride to the truck for $20), and it's pretty obvious that she doesn't care as much about our measly $40 bucks as much as she cared about getting the group of 20 customers paid and out the door. We left, and we won't be back. What she didn't know is that I was also shopping for a cheap skirt for my rascal ( oops, definitely a lost sale there!) and since we have wimpy little recreational boats, I planned on shopping there when I bought the boat I wanted. I WOULD have preferred to give my little bit of money to a small, local business rather than a huge department store like Dick's, but I'll be dipped in sheep butter &amp; deep-fried before I spend another dime at a company that that treats paddlers that way, and I kinda like the way I sit in my new QT sport ($422.94 total at Dicks). Thank god we can take 2 vehicles, and ignore them. I guess they ARE in business to make money, but the shuttle shouldn't be 3/4 of a rental, and it definitely shouldn't be more than it costs to take another vehicle.

All I can say, is watch out for the drowing machine below the dam. If the level is below 250 cfs, then the dam doesnt prove to be much of a hazard. I've actually seen guys run it at this level, however, I'm not saying you should, I still say its not safe. As long as you exit on the left side, you'll be okay.

Info about all the various Elkhorn Gauges. <hr> There are 3 "visual gauges" for the Whitewater section of the Elkhorn: <br><br> 1) The US 460 Forks Bridge - this is the traditional paddlers gauge and is on the S. Fork of the Elkhorn tributary <br><br> 2) The N. Fork bridge - this is a gauge that the local outfitter, CanoeKY has painted and roughly corresponds with the US 460 Forks Bridge. <br><br> 3) The Knight's bridge gauge - this is at the 'AW Acres' takeout and was painted to read similar to the US 460 Forks gauge but it's typically a little higher. <br><br> Using the US 460 Forks bridge, anything around 6" - 10" usually means it's too low - at least for many wwpaddlers who don't like to scrape through rocky riffles (which is essentially all that remains of the "rapids" at this level) or have to slog through the copious number of flatwater pools between the drops. <br><br> The US 460 Forks gauge has been in standard use by wwpaddlers for years, but in reality does not give consistent flow readings. A 10" reading in the spring can be way different than a 10" in the summer. This is because the US 460 Forks gauge is mostly measuring the S.Fork tributary and will often "under report" the additional flow that the N. Fork is contributing. <hr> In addition, there are two USGS gauges that have been used to determine flow on the Elkhorn Gorge: <br> 1) N.Fork Elkhorn @ Georgetown - this one is way upstream on the N. Fork tributary and was the satellite gauge of choice before the arival of ... <br><br> 2) Elkhorn Creek Near Frankfort - This is the new USGS real time flow gauge on the creek and (IMHO) the best to use because it accurately reflects both the N. and S. fork tributaries. <br><br> Based on the "Elkhorn near Frankfort" USGS gauge I have put 500cfs as minimum wwfun and around 2500cfs as maximum.