New York | Monroe County / Genesee Valley
Black Creek
Churchville Park to Black Creek Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Black Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A planning-only Black Creek moving-water route with at least 10.8 straight-line miles between the official Monroe County Churchville Park and NYSDEC Black Creek launch anchors; exact wetted-channel mileage is not reconciled in the current sources. Local route documentation describes a generally pleasant Churchville-to-Black-Creek-Park paddle, while also warning that low water may require dragging and downstream sections can accumulate substantial log jams. USGS 04231000 provides direct same-creek stage and discharge context at Churchville.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Monroe County Churchville Park Black Creek boat launchChurchville Park is a public Monroe County park launch, but the stored coordinate is the county GIS water-access anchor; confirm the current dock/landing, seasonal hours, parking, and exact water entry before launching.
Take-out
NYSDEC Black Creek launch in Black Creek ParkThe DEC Black Creek point is an official hard-surface launch coordinate with 10-car/trailer parking; confirm current approach, waterline, debris, and take-out conditions in the field.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Churchville Park is a public Monroe County park launch, but the stored coordinate is the county GIS water-access anchor; confirm the current dock/landing, seasonal hours, parking, and exact water entry before launching.
- The DEC Black Creek point is an official hard-surface launch coordinate with 10-car/trailer parking; confirm current approach, waterline, debris, and take-out conditions in the field.
- The Churchville gauge is immediately downstream of the dam and cannot certify the full downstream channel. Do not continue past Black Creek Park on the assumption that the lower creek is equally clear or reversible.
Watch for
- 04231000 stage/discharge trend, recent rain, shallow riffles, dragging, muddy water, rising banks, and thunderstorms
- Churchville dam exclusion, bridge hydraulics, downed trees, strainers, beaver obstructions, soft banks, and limited bailout points
- seasonal park hours, parking/carry, the DEC Black Creek landing, private shoreline, water-quality advisories, and the Black Creek Park boundary
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.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Black Creek at Churchville, NY |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | No universal runnable stage or discharge cutoff is accepted. Use direct USGS 04231000 trend and current stage only as context, then inspect shallow sections, wood, dam/bridge effects, water quality, weather, and the actual landing before committing. |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named moving-water corridorChurchville Park to Black Creek Park; at least 10.8 straight-line miles between official anchors; generally calm moving water
Local route documentation references 7.8 miles to a Black Creek Park, but that figure does not reconcile with the official DEC endpoint coordinate. The route uses the official endpoints and a conservative straight-line minimum until a wetted-channel trace is verified; the same source documents current, shallow-water behavior, and downstream log-jam change.
- Official public accessMonroe County Churchville Park launch and NYSDEC Black Creek launch in Chili
Monroe County identifies the Churchville Park canoe/kayak launch, while NYSDEC publishes the Black Creek launch coordinate, hard-surface type, and parking capacity.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 04231000 Black Creek at Churchville, NY
USGS provides current stage and discharge at a direct same-creek station just downstream from the Churchville dam.
- Route-specific flow guidanceDirect gauge trend and visual inspection; no universal numeric cutoff accepted
The route sources document calm water, low-water dragging, and downstream wood behavior but do not support a single safe stage or discharge threshold for the full segment.
- Camping contextNearby managed Monroe County campground/basecamp options; no endpoint or bank camping claimed
County parks publish separate seasonal camping options; the water-access points remain day-use launches and do not grant shoreline camping rights.
- Route imageNational Weather Service Northeast River Forecast Center Black Creek at Churchville image
The federal gauge-area image is clearly labeled as Black Creek context and does not certify current flow, wood, water quality, access, or a runnable line.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 04231000, Black Creek at Churchville, NY
USGS 04231000 is a direct Black Creek station at Churchville, 0.3 miles downstream from the Churchville dam, with current stage and discharge records. It is useful same-creek context but does not reveal downstream wood, shallow bars, bridge hydraulics, water quality, or the condition of either launch.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
Monroe County Parks / NYSDEC / USGS / Black Creek paddling report and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.
- Image decisionApproved same-river context image used for route presentation
The image is labeled as river-level context when it depicts the named river elsewhere, not this exact reach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Monroe County Parks / NYSDEC / USGS / Black Creek paddling report route record
- NYSDEC Black Creek and Genesee River public boat-launch map
- USGS 04231000 Black Creek at Churchville live conditions
- Monroe County Churchville Park Black Creek launch and paddling access
- USGS 04231000 monitoring location
- USGS 04231000 current conditions
- Black Creek context image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Quick answers
Black Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Black Creek?
Paddle Today watches Black Creek at Churchville, NY and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Black Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Monroe County Churchville Park Black Creek boat launch and ends at NYSDEC Black Creek launch in Black Creek Park, about At least 10.8 straight-line miles between the named public endpoints; exact wetted-channel mileage is not reconciled in the current sources on the water.
Is this Black Creek route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.