Little Kentucky,

Sulphur KY/Hwy.157 to KY 421 (8 miles)

River Description

This is only runnable after a good heavy rain. The put-in is below the dam on KY 157 and the takeout is located at the bridge on KY 421.

Robert Ellstrom provides (2006-03-15):
Ran this stream in winter 2005. The bottom can be scrapy and grabby limestone at low levels. There is a landfill near the river that can effect the olfactory pleasure of a portion of the trip. Overall, however, this can be a fun float at moderate levels. There are several river-wide drops of one to three feet, and several areas where the river drops five feet or so in a short distance.

There are also several tight turns with drops that can be challenging without being overwhelming. A recreational kayak could make the trip with a reasonable paddler. This river would probably be a poor choice for a novice paddler.

A dam needs to portaged about two-thirds of the way down. It becomes obvious, as there is a bridge immediately after it. From the water, the fairly large bridge appears to be only a few feet above the water. The portage is to river right.

There was one large downed tree at the end of what promised to be the best rapid on the trip. It was after the dam. The very large root ball virtually obstructed the channel on a nice 100' chute that turns to the right, channels the entire river, then turns left. It could be missed with skillful handling. Scout first.

In all, a good float provided there is plenty of water.

Thanks, Robert!