Maryland | Washington County / Western Maryland
Conococheague Creek
Kemps Mill Park to Williamsport River Bottom Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Conococheague 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
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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
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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.
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Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A short, low-gradient lower Conococheague Creek float from the public Kemps Mill Park walk-in access to Williamsport River Bottom Park. The reach is shallow and agricultural, with a direct Fairview gauge, an old mill-dam boundary immediately upstream, submerged summer vegetation, and a confluence-area take-out that must not be confused with downstream Potomac travel.
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
Kemps Mill Park walk-in Conococheague accessKemps Mill Park is a public walk-in access point, not a guaranteed trailer ramp. Confirm the carry, bank, parking, and water entry before unloading.
Take-out
Williamsport River Bottom Park boat rampRiver Bottom Park is a public Potomac boat ramp at the confluence, but its narrow approach and Potomac hazards require a deliberate take-out plan. Do not miss the endpoint or continue toward Dam 5.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Kemps Mill Park is a public walk-in access point, not a guaranteed trailer ramp. Confirm the carry, bank, parking, and water entry before unloading.
- River Bottom Park is a public Potomac boat ramp at the confluence, but its narrow approach and Potomac hazards require a deliberate take-out plan. Do not miss the endpoint or continue toward Dam 5.
- Maryland DNR states that traditional access through Wishard Road, Cress Pond Road, and Kemps Mill Road is through private property and that the private Kemps Mill Dam access is no longer available. Those locations are excluded from the verified access chain.
Watch for
- USGS 01614500 stage and trend
- 2.0–9.0 ft AW range, 2.4–6.0 ft planning band, shallow cobble, submerged vegetation, wood, cold water, and fast rise
- Kemps Mill Park carry, River Bottom Park ramp/parking, private-bank boundaries, confluence current, and the Dam 5 boundary downstream
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 | Conococheague Creek at Fairview, MD |
| 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 |
| Target band | 2.40 ft to 6.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 2.00 ft |
| High threshold | 9.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Conococheague Creek Fairview gauge guidance |
| 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 corridorKemps Mill Park to Williamsport River Bottom Park, approximately 4.5 miles, Class I context
Maryland DNR identifies the lower creek as floatable from River Bottom upstream and names Kemps Mill Park walk-in access. American Whitewater provides the Class I corridor and the direct Fairview gauge range.
- Authoritative public accessKemps Mill Park walk-in access and Williamsport River Bottom Park public boat ramp
Maryland DNR names Kemps Mill Park as public walk-in access; the Maryland public water-access record and C&O Canal Trust document the public River Bottom ramp at the confluence.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01614500 at Fairview; American Whitewater 2.0–9.0 ft route guidance
USGS supplies the live same-river stage station and American Whitewater supplies the route-specific runnable bands. Local rainfall, shallow channel, vegetation, and confluence conditions still control.
- Access boundaryPrivate Kemps Mill Dam access is excluded; the route starts below the dam
Maryland DNR explicitly says private Kemps Mill Dam access is no longer available and warns against private-property access.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01614500, Conococheague Creek at Fairview, MD
This is a direct same-river station. Readings are provisional and must be combined with trend and visual conditions.
- Approved route imageryRights-cleared public-agency or public-domain corridor image
Rights-cleared Maryland public river image used as regional moving-water context; it does not certify Conococheague access or current conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Conococheague Creek section
- Maryland DNR Conococheague Creek access and habitat
- Washington County Wilson Bridge and park context
- C&O Canal Trust River Bottom Park ramp
- USGS Conococheague Creek at Fairview current conditions
- USGS 01614500 monitoring location
- USGS 01614500 current conditions
- Approved corridor image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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Quick answers
Conococheague Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Conococheague Creek?
Paddle Today watches Conococheague Creek at Fairview, MD and treats 2.40 ft to 6.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Conococheague Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Kemps Mill Park walk-in Conococheague access and ends at Williamsport River Bottom Park boat ramp, about Approximately 4.5 miles from Kemps Mill Park to Williamsport River Bottom Park on the water.
Is this Conococheague 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.