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Texas | North Texas
Elm Fork Trinity River
McInnish Park to California Crossing 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
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
Run the Elm Fork from McInnish Park through the official Trinity River National Water Trail access chain to California Crossing Park. This is a practical North Texas day trip when USGS 08055500 is above TRPA's 100 cfs floor, wood is clear, and the shuttle is staged before park-hour constraints become an issue.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
McInnish ParkTrinity 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
California Crossing ParkMcInnish Park, Elm Park, Bird's Fort Trail Park, and California Crossing Park form the mapped access chain; 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.
- McInnish Park, Elm Park, Bird's Fort Trail Park, and California Crossing Park form the mapped access chain; 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 slow/shallow travel and possible dragging at similar readings.
- Trinity Coalition says access, infrastructure, river conditions, and dams can change; review the interactive map before launching.
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, especially near TRPA's 2,000 cfs maximum caution and after local runoff.
- Log jams, strainers, fallen trees, and fresh wood after flooding.
- Frazier Dam downstream of California Crossing; do not miss the take-out or continue without a separate current map and portage plan.
- Urban water quality, heat, limited shade, park hours, vehicle security, and private-bank boundaries.
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 shapeMcInnish Park to California Crossing Park, about 9.25 mi
Trinity Coalition's segment map publishes McInnish Park, Elm Park, Bird's Fort Trail Park, and California Crossing Park as launch sites and gives the 1.5, 6.25, and 1.5 mile access spacing.
- Public access coordinates32.967440, -96.942685 to 32.868524, -96.923634
Trinity Coalition publishes coordinates for McInnish Park, Elm Park, Bird's Fort Trail Park, and California Crossing Park on the National Water Trail section map.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 08055500 at 87.9 cfs / 3.41 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day Elm Fork Trinity River near Carrollton discharge and gage height at 2026-08-10 17:15 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 dam contextLog jams, dams, and changing access
TRPA warns dangerous log jams can develop after flooding, and Trinity Coalition says all dams on the National Water Trail should be treated as hazardous and avoided unless current map guidance is reviewed.
- CampingNo route camping
Carrollton posts day-use park hours for its parks, California Crossing is a Dallas community park with parking but no campground, and no reviewed Trinity Coalition, TRPA, Carrollton, or Dallas source supports route camping.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded Trinity Coalition, TRPA, City of Carrollton, Dallas Parks, Commons, USGS, and same-route image review found route-context maps and photos but no clearly rights-clean exact McInnish-to-California-Crossing 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
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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 McInnish Park and ends at California Crossing Park, about About 9.25 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.