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Texas | North Texas
Elm Fork Trinity River
Hebron Parkway to McInnish Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Elm Fork Trinity River 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
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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.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Hebron Parkway / Trinity Fork Park and take out at McInnish Park for the missing middle Elm Fork segment of the Trinity River National Water Trail. Use USGS 08055500 with TRPA's 100 cfs floor, and cancel when release, wood, water quality, or shuttle conditions are not clean.
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
Hebron Parkway Kayak LaunchTrinity Coalition map coordinates are public access anchors; follow current launch paths, signs, and park rules rather than projecting a mid-channel water-entry point.
Take-out
McInnish ParkLLELA names Hebron Parkway / Trinity Fork Park as the first public take-out below the dam and the next public downstream access in Carrollton; do not invent private-bank stops or unmanaged road-shoulder access.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Trinity Coalition map coordinates are public access anchors; follow current launch paths, signs, and park rules rather than projecting a mid-channel water-entry point.
- LLELA names Hebron Parkway / Trinity Fork Park as the first public take-out below the dam and the next public downstream access in Carrollton; do not invent private-bank stops or unmanaged road-shoulder access.
- USGS 08055500 was product-live during implementation but below the 100 cfs floor; expect shallow, slow, or scrape-prone conditions at similar readings.
- This segment stays downstream of the strongest LLELA tailwater, but the whole Elm Fork corridor remains release-influenced and wood-prone after floods.
Watch for
- Flows below about 100 cfs on USGS 08055500, which can turn this into a shallow scrape through an urban corridor.
- High or rising water after storms or release changes, especially near TRPA's 2,000 cfs maximum caution.
- Log jams, strainers, fallen trees, bank erosion, and fresh wood after flooding.
- Urban water quality, heat, limited shade, park hours, vehicle security, and private-bank boundaries.
- A missed McInnish take-out that commits the group to the separate McInnish-to-California Crossing card.
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 | Elm Fk Trinity Rv nr Carrollton, TX |
| 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 | 200 cfs to 1,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 100 cfs |
| High threshold | 2,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Texas Rivers Protection Association Elm Fork Trinity River 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.
- Official route shapeHebron Parkway to McInnish Park, about 5.75 mi
Trinity Coalition's LLELA-to-McInnish section map publishes LLELA, Hebron Parkway, and McInnish Park as launch sites and gives the 5.75-mile Hebron-to-McInnish spacing.
- Public access coordinates33.012600, -96.950689 to 32.967440, -96.942685
Trinity Coalition publishes Hebron Parkway and McInnish Park launch coordinates on the National Water Trail section map; LLELA separately names Hebron Parkway / Trinity Fork Park and the next downstream Carrollton access.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08055500 at 91.1 cfs / 3.42 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day Elm Fork Trinity River near Carrollton discharge and gage height at 2026-08-11 01:15 CDT during this implementation run.
- Threshold posture100 cfs minimum; 200-1,000 cfs ideal; 2,000 cfs maximum caution
TRPA's Elm Fork Trinity page lists the Elm Fork route family, Class I character, year-round season, 100 cfs minimum, 200-1,000 cfs ideal range, 2,000 cfs maximum, and USGS Carrollton current-condition source.
- Safety and accessRelease-influenced urban river with common wood
LLELA warns of strong current below Lewisville Dam, common strainers, fallen trees, and erosion hazards on the Elm Fork; TRPA separately warns that dangerous log jams can develop after flooding.
- CampingNo route camping
This card starts below LLELA's designated campsite area and ends at Carrollton park/open-space access. No reviewed Trinity Coalition, LLELA, Carrollton, Dallas County, or TRPA source supports overnight route camping between Hebron and McInnish.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded Trinity Coalition, TRPA, LLELA, Carrollton, Dallas County, Commons, USGS, and same-route image review found route-context maps and photos but no clearly rights-clean exact Hebron-to-McInnish paddling asset selected for local reuse.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
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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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Elm Fork Trinity River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Elm Fork Trinity River?
Paddle Today watches Elm Fk Trinity Rv nr Carrollton, TX and treats 200 cfs to 1,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Elm Fork Trinity River route start and end?
This route starts at Hebron Parkway Kayak Launch and ends at McInnish Park, about About 5.75 mi on the water.
Is this Elm Fork Trinity River 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.