Elkhorn Creek, Kentucky, US

Forks of Elkhorn US460 Bridge to Knight's Bridge on KY1900 (6 miles) (Elkhorn Gorge)

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
ELKHORN CREEK NEAR FRANKFORT, KY
usgs-03289500	250 - 6500 cfs	II(III)	00h36m	923 cfs (rc= 0.5 )
	Optimum range

River Description

"Church Wave"

Located about a 45 minute drive from Lexington, KY, the "Gorge" section begins at the confluence of the Creek's north and south tributaries at the Forks of the Elkhorn bridge on US 460 just east of Frankfort,KY. This stream has proven to be an excellent ww classroom and play place for paddlers from across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Full of mostly class II rapids, with the occasional class III hydraulic, the Elkhorn is a stream with plenty to satisfy the novice or experienced whitewater paddler.

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.

AW Acres takeout (looking from the creek). A gravel parking area has been added since this picture was taken.

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.

Other Information Sources:  
Blue Grass Wildwater Association
BWA Elkhorn Creek page
National Paddling Film Festival
Video of C-1 caught in dam recirculation
Video about Removing or changing the distillery dam
Video of Dam Rapid
Video of IKs at 3000 cfs