See all 2 routes on Little Miami River
Ohio | Southwest Ohio
Little Miami RiverKelley Nature Preserve to Jim Terrell Park
A 4.9-mile Class I–II run from Kelley Nature Preserve to Jim Terrell Park in Milford. Review the dam-remnant hazards against your group’s skills.
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Kelley Nature Preserve and take out at Jim Terrell Park. This follows the AW Kelley-to-Milford reach and the ODNR Little Miami Scenic River access sequence.
Access map
Put-in
Kelley Nature Preserve, 297 Center Street, Loveland. Launch information
Kelley Nature Preserve canoe/kayak accessKelley Nature Preserve is an official park access with a canoe/kayak launch, but parking can fill on busy warm weekends.
Take-out
Jim Terrell Park canoe launchJim Terrell Park is the planned take-out; continuing below Milford changes the route and adds more access planning.
Road shuttle
Use a short two-car shuttle between Kelley Nature Preserve and Jim Terrell Park in Milford. The route can be extended downstream, but this entry ends at the AW-listed Milford take-out.
Plan this paddle
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Conditions
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Recent trend
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Gauge source
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Weather
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Short-route forecast
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Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
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Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Little Miami River at Milford, OH. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
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Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
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Sources and methodology
Guides and maps checked 2026-10-19. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
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- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Little Miami River at Milford, OH |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | Checking |
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| Rain last 24h | Checking |
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| Preferred range | 5.50 ft to 7.50 ft |
| Low threshold | 4.60 ft |
| High threshold | 9.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Little Miami Kelley-to-Milford gauge guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Route and difficulty4.9 miles, Class I-II
American Whitewater lists Kelley Nature Preserve to Milford / Jim Terrell Park as a 4.9-mile Little Miami reach with Class I-II difficulty.
- Gauge ladder4.6 to 9.0 ft runnable range
AW ties the reach to the Little Miami River at Milford gauge and publishes a 4.60-to-9.00 ft range, with 5.50-to-7.50 ft described as the best boatable play level and around 6.5 ft prime.
- Low-water floor4.6 ft
AW says below 4.6 ft is way too low and that 4.6-to-5.5 ft is low water with little play and possible walking in the shallows.
- High-water ceiling9 ft
AW marks levels above 9 ft as above its recommended range and describes sketchy, possibly flooding conditions; features wash out and other streams are running.
- Boathouse Rapid accident historyNear-drowning at 6.34 ft
AW accident records include an August 2021 near-drowning at Boathouse Rapid / the old low-head-dam hydraulic, with no PFD and inexperience cited as factors.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 03245500
USGS operates the Little Miami River at Milford, OH monitoring location, which AW uses for this reach.
- Official put-in coordinatesKelley Nature Preserve: 39.20997, -84.30608
ODNR Little Miami Scenic River map lists Kelley Nature Preserve, Clermont County Park District, as a river-left access with coordinates.
- Official take-out coordinatesJim Terrell Park: 39.17041, -84.29856
ODNR Little Miami Scenic River map lists the canoe launch at Jim Terrell Park in Milford as river-right access with coordinates.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
The Milford gauge is an observation at its station; weather and outlooks are forecasts. Neither verifies current obstructions or access.
Other routes nearby
More on Little Miami River
All 2Nearby routes within 75 miles
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