Paddle TodayFind the best paddle near you today
RequestRequest

Live score, water level, and weather.

See all 3 routes on Clear Creek

Colorado | Clear Creek Canyon / Clear Creek County

Clear Creek

Kermit's Access to County Line / Highway 119

Check current paddling conditions for this Clear Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

Route location

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Open access map
DistanceApproximately 5.4 river miles
DifficultyHard
Typical timeVariable
ShuttleCar shuttle
Clear Creek flows through Idaho Springs, Colorado, between rocky banks.
River contextClear Creek at Idaho Springs; same-river context river-level context — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by James St. John via Wikimedia Commons

Need to know

Why this call
Pulling the latest gauge and weather. This usually takes a few seconds.
View Primary Source

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

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.

------------

Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

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

On-water distanceApproximately 5.4 river milesKermit's Access to County Line / Highway 119
DifficultyhardAmerican Whitewater rates the named Kermits / Upper Clear Creek reach Class IV. Preserve expert-only, rescue-readiness, and mandatory scouting language.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage the take-out at County Line / Highway 119, then shuttle west along US 6/I-70 frontage roads to Kermit's Access. Confirm road, parking, construction, and access conditions before leaving the vehicle.
PermitsCheck posted rulesThe county map identifies Kermit's under CDOT and County Line under county access. Follow current CDOT and Clear Creek County parking, construction, and boating rules; do not trespass at commercial/private rafting accesses.
CampingDay tripNo endpoint camping is established by the cited access sources. Use a separate lawful campground or lodging reservation and never camp at the access pullouts or on private banks.
SeasonMay-JulThe section generally runs during the mid-May to mid-July snowmelt window. Require same-day gauge, trend, weather, debris, road, access, and local river checks; high water can make the expert reach more hazardous.

Plan ahead

Upcoming outlook

These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

An expert-only CDOT-to-county Clear Creek whitewater reach with a station-linked 200–1,000 cfs planning range, cold-water hazards, and roadside access that must be rechecked before every run.

DirectionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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.

Download GPXAdd to calendar

Start

Put-in

CDOT Kermit's Access
Open map

Use only the mapped CDOT Kermit's boating access and Clear Creek County Line access. Do not substitute Clear Creek Outpost, Mile Hi, or other private/commercial access points.

Finish

Take-out

Clear Creek County Line / Highway 119 Access
Open map

The county GIS coordinates are map-derived access-point centroids, not survey monuments. Verify the physical launch/take-out, parking, construction, and any seasonal restrictions on site.

Plan this segment

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Use only the mapped CDOT Kermit's boating access and Clear Creek County Line access. Do not substitute Clear Creek Outpost, Mile Hi, or other private/commercial access points.
  • The county GIS coordinates are map-derived access-point centroids, not survey monuments. Verify the physical launch/take-out, parking, construction, and any seasonal restrictions on site.
  • The USGS station is at Lawson, upstream from Kermit's; use the station-linked guidance as a flow reference, not as a guarantee that conditions at every rapid are equivalent.

Watch for

  • USGS 06716500 below 200 cfs, above 1,000 cfs, rapidly rising, unavailable, or inconsistent with the local river visual
  • Beaver One, Beaver Two, continuous Class IV rapids, cold snowmelt, strainers, bridge/roadside hazards, and limited recovery options
  • CDOT construction or parking changes at Kermit's, county access changes at County Line, private-bank temptation, and a failed expert/rescue plan

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.

No approved route photos yet

Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.

Share photos or report conditions

Score & sources

Why this score

See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge inputChecking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather inputChecking

Waiting on weather.

Next stepChecking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

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.

Why
  • Checking evidence-strength notes.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing

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

Gauge siteClear Creek near Lawson, CO
DischargeChecking
Gauge heightChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Target band300 cfs to 800 cfs
Low threshold200 cfs
High threshold1,000 cfs
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial and local sources
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreKermit's / Upper Clear Creek recommended range: 200–1,000 cfs
Gauge sourceChecking
Weather sourceChecking
Rainfall sourceChecking
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 whitewater corridorKermit's (Upper Clear Creek), approximately 5.4 miles, Class IV

    American Whitewater names the exact Kermits / Upper Clear Creek reach, gives its Class IV difficulty and 5.4-mile length, and describes the put-in near US 6/I-70 with the Highway 119 take-out.

    Source

  • Direct live gauge and flow rangeUSGS 06716500; 200–1,000 cfs planning bounds

    USGS provides continuous Clear Creek near Lawson telemetry. BoaterBeta associates that station with this segment and publishes 200 cfs minimum and 1,000 cfs maximum recommended values; these remain conservative planning bounds rather than a safety guarantee.

    Source

  • Lawful endpoint accessCDOT Kermit's Access to Clear Creek County Line / Highway 119 Access

    The county access map identifies Kermit's as CDOT boating access and County Line as county access; the county GIS access layer supplies coordinates for both named points.

    Source

  • Access coordinatesKermit's 39.7465013,-105.4365389; County Line 39.7460435,-105.3981520

    Coordinates are from Clear Creek County GIS access-point features. They are map-derived centroids and must be confirmed against current on-site access, parking, and construction conditions.

    Source

  • Safety boundaryExpert Class IV only; cold-water/rescue readiness; no runnable guarantee

    American Whitewater describes continuous Class IV creeking and hard rapids at the put-in. Apply expert-only limits, current scouting, and rescue readiness regardless of gauge value.

    Source

  • Camping and access caveatNo endpoint camping; separate lawful lodging/camping required

    The cited county access and visitor sources establish boating facilities and rules but do not establish overnight camping at either endpoint. Keep camping separate and lawful.

    Source

  • Rights-clean image decisionApproved Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 Clear Creek context image

    The selected Clear Creek image is licensed CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons with attribution and license link retained. It is river-context imagery, not a claim that the frame depicts the Kermit's or County Line endpoints.

    Source

  • Duplicate separationDistinct upper Clear Creek Kermit's-to-County-Line reach

    This route is separate from Clear Creek access points farther upstream and downstream and from the existing Colorado River routes; it uses its own named reach, endpoints, and USGS station-linked guidance.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

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

Reports

Paddler reports

See recent photos and notes from people on the route.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

More in Colorado

All 39 routes
Colorado route guideBrowse every tracked Colorado route.Clear Creek Canyon / Clear Creek CountyJump to routes in this region.

More on Clear Creek

All 3
Fish Creek Confluence to Clear Creek RoadSevier / Fishlake countryHard · About 2.3 miGolden Whitewater Park to Vanover ParkClear Creek / GoldenModerate · Approximately 0.56 river miles

Nearby routes by distance

Eagle RiverCamp Hale historical-site access to Red Cliff / Gilman Gorge put-in · about 52 mi awayHard · Approximately 4.7 river milesHomestake CreekHighway 24 roadside access to 1/4 mile above the Eagle River confluence · about 53 mi awayHard · Approximately 0.51 river milesEagle RiverFR 707 to Forest Service Visitor Center (Minturn Town Run) · about 53 mi awayHard · Approximately 4.6 river milesCross CreekAbove Snap to Cross Creek confluence near Minturn · about 54 mi awayHard · Approximately 0.68 river miles

Quick answers

Clear Creek paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Clear Creek?

Paddle Today watches Clear Creek near Lawson, CO and treats 300 cfs to 800 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this Clear Creek route start and end?

This route starts at CDOT Kermit's Access and ends at Clear Creek County Line / Highway 119 Access, about Approximately 5.4 river miles on the water.

Is this Clear Creek route good for beginners?

This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a changeEmail update