See all 10 routes on Yellow Breeches Creek
Pennsylvania | South Central Pennsylvania
Yellow Breeches Creek
Simpson Park to Liberty Forge
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
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 Simpson Park and take out at the public Liberty Forge bridge access for a longer upper-middle Yellow Breeches day. Use the Camp Hill gauge as the county-endorsed same-creek proxy and keep the day conservative when it sits below the recommended 1.4-foot floor.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Simpson Park launchCumberland County still publishes both endpoints as official Yellow Breeches access points with exact coordinates on the county story map.
Take-out
Liberty Forge bridge accessThe county story map says the public may access the creek for boating at the Old Forge Road bridge at Liberty Forge and should follow posted access rules; it also asks paddlers to limit parking to individuals and small groups only.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Cumberland County still publishes both endpoints as official Yellow Breeches access points with exact coordinates on the county story map.
- The county story map says the public may access the creek for boating at the Old Forge Road bridge at Liberty Forge and should follow posted access rules; it also asks paddlers to limit parking to individuals and small groups only.
- The county recommends boating when the Camp Hill gauge reads about 1.4 to 2.0 feet. This route was reviewed when the proxy gauge was 1.26 feet at 2026-07-10 23:45 EDT, so expect repeated scraping and slower travel.
- The current county advisory flags a full blockage above B7 farther downstream, so do not assume a safe continuation beyond the intended take-out.
Watch for
- Scraping, shallow bends, and slow progress when the Camp Hill gauge is near or below 1.4 ft.
- Fresh wood, small strainers, slippery banks, and bridge-area current at the Liberty Forge finish.
- Fast rises and more debris after thunderstorms on a creek that can change quickly despite its mellow appearance.
- Private banks and drifting past the intended bridge-side public finish into less clear access context.
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.
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Score & sources
Data and sources
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 | Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill, PA |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 | 1.40 ft to 2.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 1.40 ft |
| High threshold | 6.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Cumberland County Yellow Breeches Camp Hill gauge 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 shapeSimpson Park to Liberty Forge, about 5.2 mi
The county story map lists Simpson Park to McCormick Park as 1.1 miles, McCormick Park to Lower Allen Community Park as 3.6 miles, and Lower Allen Community Park to Liberty Forge as 0.5 miles.
- Public endpoint coordinates40.164151, -76.976192 to 40.177495, -76.924172
Cumberland County still publishes Simpson Park and Liberty Forge as official Yellow Breeches access points with those coordinates.
- Public-use access termsBridge-side boating access at Liberty Forge
The county story map says the public may access the creek for boating at the bridge at Old Forge Road, with parking at the miniature-golf area and posted access rules controlling use.
- Official same-creek proxy gaugeUSGS 01571500 at 149 cfs / 1.26 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day 2026-07-10 values of 149 cfs and 1.26 ft for Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill at 23:45 EDT.
- Official level guidanceRecommended 1.4 to 2.0 ft; action stage 6 ft; flood stage 7 ft
Cumberland County says the Camp Hill gauge should read between 1.4 and 2.0 feet for boating, with action stage at 6 feet and flood stage at 7 feet.
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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Quick answers
Yellow Breeches Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Yellow Breeches Creek?
Paddle Today watches Yellow Breeches Creek near Camp Hill, PA and treats 1.40 ft to 2.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Yellow Breeches Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Simpson Park launch and ends at Liberty Forge bridge access, about About 5.2 mi on the water.
Is this Yellow Breeches Creek route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
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