Kelly Creek

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.

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

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

• Official route corridorMoose Creek to Kelly Forks Campground; About 11 miles

  American Whitewater Kelly Creek Moose Creek-to-Kelly Forks reach record identifies the endpoint chain, river miles, or managed float corridor.

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• Public access controlMoose Creek / Kelly Creek Work Center to Kelly Forks Campground

  Coordinates represent named public ramps, bank launches, park landings, or an explicitly described staging point.

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• Defensible proxy gaugeUSGS 13340600 - North Fork Clearwater River near Canyon Ranger Station, ID (proxy for Kelly Creek)

  Gauge is downstream on the same river system and must not be treated as a local measurement.

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• Threshold postureNumeric cue retained for planning

  The route remains planning-only; no live go/no-go score is asserted.

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• Safety and land managementCurrent manager notices override this record

  American Whitewater rates the reach Class III-IV and identifies Clayton Creek as the major opening rapid; North Idaho Rivers warns that upper-section wood can be serious in a swim and that several blind spots require road or on-water scouting. North Idaho Rivers gives a very approximate 3,000 cfs minimum on the downstream USGS gauge and reports 4,100-4,500 cfs as fun but challenging medium-low flows. The gauge is more than 40 miles downstream below major tributaries, so local visual conditions override the numeric cue. Hoodoo Pass and Forest Road 250 are seasonal and commonly inaccessible until early July. Kelly Forks is a remote fee campground/work-center corridor with limited services; carry maps, repair gear, communications, and a conservative wood/evacuation plan.

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• Camping classificationendpoint_campground

  Kelly Forks Campground has 14 fee sites, a group area, host, and water when open. Primitive spots above Kelly Forks are sparse; do not assume Moose Creek roadside camping is legal or available without current Forest Service confirmation.

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• Image decisionClearwater watershed context photograph

  Approved route-area or same-river context; it does not depict every endpoint or current conditions.

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• Overlap decisionRetained as a distinct access-to-access itinerary

  Adjacent cards use different public endpoints and provide a different trip length, hazard set, skill tier, or operating boundary.

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

• American Whitewater Kelly Creek Moose Creek-to-Kelly Forks reach record
• Official access/map control
• USGS 13340600 monitoring location
• USGS 13340600 current conditions
• North Idaho Rivers Kelly Creek cue: very approximate 3,000 cfs minimum on downstream proxy; 4,100-4,500 cfs reports were medium-low and challenging
• Additional threshold support
• American Whitewater Kelly Creek reach
• North Idaho Rivers Kelly Creek flow and shuttle notes
• USGS North Fork Clearwater proxy gauge
• Kelly Creek Work Center map context
• Kelly Forks Campground map context
• Forest Service Kelly Forks access and seasonal road notes
• Clearwater watershed context photograph
• Idaho boating and invasive-species requirements