Paddle Today Find the best paddle near you today.
Request Request

Live score, water level, and weather.

Kentucky | Northeastern Kentucky

Slate Creek

Lions Club Park to Old Slate Furnace Park

Check current paddling conditions for this Slate Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. This usually takes a few seconds.
Checking live data

Route snapshot

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Today

Get the answer fast, then scan the route.

Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.

Today's conditions

Level Checking Checking
Trend Checking Checking 24h change
Weather Loading Air: No reading
Rain Loading Recent rain: Checking

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

-- -- -- -- -- --

Weather

Best window today

Checking weather.

Today by hour

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
-- -- Loading --

Quick facts

On-water distance 3.7 mi Lions Club Park to Old Slate Furnace Park
Difficulty easy This is a short half-day Blue Water Trail segment at normal levels, but the put-in sits near a low-head dam and the creek has shallow rock bars, wood, and private-bank limits. Treat it as easy only when the gauge is in range and stable.
Shuttle Car shuttle Stage the take-out at Old Slate Furnace Park on KY 36 south of Owingsville, then drive back to the Lions Club / Kendall Springs Road access. Inspect the launch first because KDFWR notes a low-head dam at Lions Club Park and the downstream launch line uses the access below the dam.
Permits None noted No route-specific paddling permit is known. Use only the KDFWR-listed carry-down accesses, follow posted park and KDFWR rules, and carry required Kentucky boating safety gear.
Camping Day trip Treat this as a short day trip. No camping plan is assumed between Lions Club Park and Old Slate Furnace Park, and banks away from public access areas should be treated as private unless clearly posted otherwise.
Season Mar-Nov KDFWR describes Slate Creek as shallow with abundant rock bars, so spring rain and recent storms matter. The creek can drag below the official good band and can rise into fast, woody, dam-influenced water after heavy rain.

Plan

Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.

Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.

Access plan

Access, shuttle, and map

Launch from the Lions Club Park carry-down access below the low-head-dam area and take out 3.7 miles downstream at Old Slate Furnace Park. KDFWR gives a good Slate Creek boating and fishing band of 100 to 200 cfs.

Directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap
Start

Put-in

Lions Club Park carry-down access Open map

Lions Club Park sits by a low-head dam visible from the Kendall Springs Road bridge. Use the KDFWR-listed carry-down access below the dam and do not launch above the dam for this route.

Finish

Take-out

Old Slate Furnace Park carry-down access Open map

Old Slate Furnace Park is a KDFWR carry-down site with unpaved parking, picnic tables, and a historic furnace. Land at the park access rather than spreading onto nearby banks.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats

  • Lions Club Park sits by a low-head dam visible from the Kendall Springs Road bridge. Use the KDFWR-listed carry-down access below the dam and do not launch above the dam for this route.
  • Old Slate Furnace Park is a KDFWR carry-down site with unpaved parking, picnic tables, and a historic furnace. Land at the park access rather than spreading onto nearby banks.
  • KDFWR describes Slate Creek as shallow with abundant rock bars and water willow beds, so low water can turn this short float into a draggy creek walk.
  • KDFWR notes limited hours or event restrictions at Lions Club Park. Check same-day park access before leaving a shuttle vehicle.

Watch for

  • Low-head-dam hydraulics and boils near Lions Club Park; stay below the dam for this segment and avoid fishing or scouting close to the structure.
  • Low water below 100 cfs, when rock bars, shallow shoals, and dragging become likely.
  • High water above 200 cfs, when KDFWR moves the creek out of the good band and current, wood, and landings deserve extra caution.
  • Woody debris, strainers, stained water, and quick rain response on this small creek.
  • Private-bank limits away from KDFWR access sites; use public parks and legal gravel-bar stops rather than climbing banks or yards.

Route gallery

See this route on the water

Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.

A USGS crew works along Slate Creek at Owingsville, Kentucky, with shallow water and wooded banks behind them.
Slate Creek at Owingsville Photo by Andre Ferguson/USGS
USGS asset: public domain

Sources

Check the data behind today's call.

Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge input Checking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather input Checking

Waiting on weather.

Next step Checking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

Why this score Today's data confidence is checking

Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.

Why
  • Checking data confidence notes.
Outlook Tomorrow and weekend

This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.

Tomorrow Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Weekend Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Data behind the score Gauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge site Slate Creek at Highway 713 near Mt. Sterling, KY
Discharge Checking
Gauge height Checking
24h trend Checking
24h change Checking
Current band Checking
Rain last 24h Checking
Rain last 72h Checking
Air temp Checking
Water temp Checking
Wind Checking
Gusts Checking
Rain timing Checking
Target band 100 cfs to 200 cfs
Low threshold 100 cfs
High threshold 200 cfs
Data confidence behind the range Official data source
Gauge observed Checking
Paddle Today updated Checking
Main source behind this score KDFWR recommended river levels for Slate Creek downstream of Howards Mill
Gauge source Checking
Weather source Checking
Rainfall source Checking
Notes What to know before you go

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Official level band 100-200 cfs

    KDFWR rates Slate Creek from Howards Mill downstream to the Licking River as Low below 100 cfs, Good from 100 to 200 cfs, and High above 200 cfs.

    Source

  • Official route segment Lions Club Park to Old Slate Furnace Park, 3.7 miles

    KDFWR lists Lions Club Park to Old Slate Furnace Park as a 3.7-mile public-access segment on Slate Creek.

    Source

  • Blue Water Trail context Excellent half-day float

    KDFWR Blue Water Trails describes the Lions Club access-to-Old Slate Furnace Park float as nearly four miles with a quick shuttle, ending at the park on river right just below Mill Creek.

    Source

  • Put-in access Lions Club Park, 38.1305, -83.7665

    KDFWR identifies Slate Creek - Lions Club as a free carry-down site with unpaved parking, year-round 24-hour boat-ramp availability, and a dam note for the creek here.

    Source

  • Take-out access Old Slate Furnace Park, 38.1148, -83.7475

    KDFWR identifies Slate Creek - Old Slate Furnace as a free carry-down site with unpaved parking, picnic-area availability, and a canoe/kayak launch suitable for carry-down use.

    Source

  • Live-gauge support USGS 03250190

    The official USGS legacy current-conditions page showed May 31, 2026 instantaneous discharge and gage-height values for Slate Creek at Highway 713 near Mt. Sterling during this run.

    Source

Verify it yourself Check the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Photos, paddler notes, and updates.

See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

More in Kentucky

All 8 routes
Kentucky route guide Browse every tracked Kentucky route. Northeastern Kentucky Jump to routes in this region.

Nearby routes by distance

Tygarts Creek Olive Hill Depot Trailhead and Campground Access to Carter Caves State Park · about 34 mi away Moderate · About 12.5 mi South Fork Kentucky River Kay Wood Road Access to Fish Creek Boat Ramp · about 47 mi away Easy · 7.9 mi Elkhorn Creek Elkhorn Creek VPA #3 to American Whitewater Access · about 58 mi away Moderate · 2.6 mi Little Miami River Kelley Nature Preserve to Jim Terrell Park · about 80 mi away Moderate · 4.9 mi

Quick answers

Slate Creek paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Slate Creek?

Paddle Today watches Slate Creek at Highway 713 near Mt. Sterling, KY and treats 100 cfs to 200 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this Slate Creek route start and end?

This route starts at Lions Club Park carry-down access and ends at Old Slate Furnace Park carry-down access, about 3.7 mi on the water.

Is this Slate Creek route good for beginners?

This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a change Email update