Elkhorn Creek

This just happened today (10/8/2018). The damn at the Jim Beam Distillery has claimed another life. Please be careful around this hydraulic. Prayers to the victim and his family and friends.

https://lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/2018/10/08/sheriff-crews-looking-for-kayaker-along-elkhorn-creek/

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton confirms that first responders have recovered a body in the search for a kayaker on Elkhorn Creek.

He said that they received a call around 1:30 p.m. that two kayakers went under. One rescue was made, but they found another body near Colston Lane. We’re told one of the kayakers got sucked into the undertow.

Fish and wildlife officials are in charge of the death investigation.

Melton said that both kayakers did everything they should to be safe.

“He was wearing a life vest, so he was doing everything that he was supposed to be doing. Just water, as you can tell, is flowing very rapidly. You always have to be careful, you always have to watch what you’re doing. Dams are notorious for that undertow,” said Melton.

The Franklin County coroner will release the name of the kayaker once his family is notified.

Jacqueline Nie
@JacquelineLEX18
We’re told two kayakers went around a low head dam, but they put in too close to the dam. One of them got sucked into the undertow. He was able to hold onto a rope for almost 2 minutes before going under water @LEX18News

Note: Although class II, use caution with beginners especially in cold temps. Cannot comment on ranges between 800 and 1600-1700 cfs, but during our run at our higher level, current was swift and almost constant. Our guy had several swims. The current made his swims long and gear retrieval difficult. Had to hike him out with mild hypothermia setting in. Strainer in the current at S-turn if the move across the waves is not made.

Many trees and limbs came down after the latest batch of thunderstorms. A few passages are blocked, and a riverwide log is down between the dam rapid and S-turn. Caution is advised.

The bridge pillar after S-turn has a strainer on the upstream side. A lady got pinned between it and her canoe, read the report below for more details:

7-8-2011 1050 CFS Trip Report.

As soon as My girlfriend and I park next to the creek at the camp ground and start filling up our duckies, two ladies ask for a ride to the main office of the camp ground where they parked their cars. Apparently as soon as they put in they both capsized at I think Church Wave, sunk their hardshells, and swam towards log strainers which they used to grab on to and pull themselves out of the creek.

Church wave was almost more of a hole than a wave at that level, and it filled up our duckies with the quickness.

We got to the dam and two fishermen had to put their lines in right above the dam where we needed to portage. They were at least nice enough to real in their lines to let us through. We get to the dam to find a whole mess of tubers standing in the way but we managed to squeeze by and get our boats to the end of the limestone shelf. After that two ladies with hardshell kayaks(no spray skirts) start to put in where the current is heading towards the dam. I talked them out of it and explained that there had already been a bad incident from putting in there.

After we put in after the dam we ferried across to catch the wave on river right. It was big and I ended up getting sideways in it and it flipped me.

Next we got to S-turn, it was quite tame at that level. The lateral wave wasn't there, but after the two large standing waves was a nice surf wave. We re-ran the rapid and I was expecting to see those two ladies but never did.

Lunch stop was a very odd wave. It was like 3 waves all right next to each other crashing in different directions. I wasn't able to catch it though.

We saw all the tubers go by on some rapids. Most of them were carrying beer coolers, and it looked like an absolute blast.

Surf City was great, but it didn't have the excellent eddy service I am used to. We mostly walked above the rapid and put back in to re-run it. I found out you can use the eddy, ferry, and then catch the slack water behind the wave to re-run it without having to get out of your boat, but this method actually uses more energy than just getting out of your boat and walking above it.

The rapid with the giant boulder on river right that sits in the creek had a great surf wave. It was the biggest wave I saw all day.

We took out at the spot right after the last rapid and my plan was to just hitch a ride to the campground. There was a group of people their trying to put a giant canoe in the back of a small truck. I asked them for a ride and they said yes. They noticed a couple of bent aluminum bars on the canoe and I asked what happened, but one of them replied 'I don't want to talk about it'.

I asked them if they saw the tubers and they said one guy didn't have a tube and was using nothing but a cooler. I'm sure he popped it because they were just cheap walmart tubes. My older brother thought of a good idea, use one of those tubes that boats pull at the lake, they are nylon covered. 1000 CFS looks like a good max for tubing, but of course strainers would pose a big threat considering you don't even have a paddle, but you could still scout rapids from the banks. (Disclaimer: this is a horrible idea and you should use appropriate craft).

My girlfriend waited there with the kayaks and never did see those two ladies from the dam, my guess is that they didn't make it. On the drive I asked again 'so really what happened with the canoe'. One of them replied that they all vowed to never talk about it again. After a moment of silence a guy starts telling this story 'we ran this rapid and flipped the canoe. My wife gets swept in to a bridge pillar(I think he is referring to the one after S-turn) then the canoe pins her against the log. I tried to lift the canoe but I couldn't. I get a huge adrenaline rush and lift the canoe with everything I got and free her. Adrenaline is great when you need it but every muscle in my body is killing me right now.' I reply about how once I was on the Middle Red and a canoe got pinned and it took 8 of us to lift it.

I made a video of us surfing at Surf City. Keep in mind it was my girlfriends second trip ever that involved surfing. She did fine at Church Wave surfing sideways leaning downstream not letting any water in the boat, but when I convinced her to straiten out the boat and face it upstream, water poured right over the bow and filled up the boat. The same thing happened to me when I tried it. In the video I kept trying to do a 360. I had already done two good ones earlier but didn't get them on video. At the end of the video I finally pull one off, but it's not a very good one.

Here is the video: http://vimeo.com/26392934

There is a root ball/log at the entrance to 'Island Split' that appears to have moved further out into the current. If you run this rapid at lower summer levels, be aware much of the current flows straight into the strainer and requires very good boat control to avoid. You also have water pushing in from the left through the island further complicating things.

Ok, First off below, yes it was stupid we put in below the dam...but There were three of us who knew the route well; and we cant afford the $900 Kayaks. And the river gods? Her dad pushed her out...and if you know newtons third law of motion (with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction), that is how they both are alive today. I was the one who told everyone we were too close to the dam. What happened was a complete freak accident. You showed up after everything was over and just waiting for the S&R. It was unfortunate, yes. but accidents happen. I knew the water was going to be circulating. I know what dams do by recirculating water. We had just been told what to do in that situation. I want to thank you though for retrieving our kayaks, but you just have some points wrong. Oh and we did have helmets we took them off while portaging

4-19-09 I went down the whitewater part of Elkhorn creek to find 3 helmets and 2 PFD's being re-surfed in the dam , went further down the river to find 3 abandoned kayaks along the shore line. Stooped in at canoe KY to report this and they were aware of a situation at the dam the previous day in which a 16 year old girl was sucked back up to the dam in her kayak and flipped and was re-surfed herself for several minutes until she flushed out and was washed up on the rock at the start of the rapid and eventualy had to be rescued by the profesionals and taken to the hospital for hyopothermmia. The moral of the story is please be carefull at the dam it is a dangerous situation at any level. fortunatly this girl came out alright.

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.