Dix River in Kentucky

Trip Overview

There is a great section of water for somebody with little recreation kayak/canoe experience who would like to get a taste of good class II whitewater.

This 7.3 mile trip is located on the Dix River. The put in is located where Hwy 1150 crosses the Dix River [N37 36.160 W84 38.098]. This is a pretty easy put in at the bridge with good parking. Water is pretty calm for the first 5-6 miles. Several small chutes keep paddling interesting on this first section.

After the Dix River meets the Hanging Fork of the Dix River, N37 38.070 W84 39.506, get ready for some action. Well, class II action anyway. I've found this section to be most enjoyable when the river is about 800-900 CFS. There are 3 separate rapids here. None are very technical, but quite fun. You get a nice break in between each one. The trip ends at the Hwy 52 Bridge just about 1/4 mile after the last rapid. [N37 38.507 W84 39.670] There is room for a few cars at the takeout. Taking out of the river is easy, but it is a little difficult to carry boats up to the road. There is a path, but it's not a cake walk.

If the rapids were not too bad, consider going past the 52 bridge for one more set of rapids. These are probably more technical than the other 3, but really fun. Beginners will get wet. They're still class II. You'll have to carry your boats back a couple hundred yards to the bridge, but it's worth it. Don't go any further on this river or you'll be paddling in Herrington lake water. I've done it. Boring.

This trip can be run as low as 200 CFS, but the rapids would be less than interesting and you'll be bottoming out a lot. It's much more interesting around 500-1000. Any higher than 1000 and I wouldn't take a beginner (just my opinion). Also, this is about a 2 hour nonstop trip under higher water conditions. It could go more toward 3-4 hours with slower water.

Authors note:
This information is based purely on my experiences and knowledge and is for planning purposes only. Every paddler should make appropriate arrangements based on his/her skill level. I have never been on a class III or above rapid (to my knowledge). I consider this river a class I-II.

Accommodations:

None. Remember that anytime you get out of the water you are trespassing, so please be considerate of others' property.

Directions:

GPS coordinates have been provided in the description above for the put-in/take-out and where you can start to expect the class II rapids. Enter them into Google Earth or your GPS mapping program to plot your driving directions.

Launches:

For longer trips, you can put in at the Logan Hubble Park boat ramp, N37 35.428 W84 37.228. This will add about 1.8 miles of calm water to the trip. Plenty of parking here.

Or you could extend it even further at Rankin Road, N37 34.415 W84 37.128. You can probably just fit one car here and it will add 8.1 miles to the original trip. Choose your poison.

Resources:

www.USGS.gov is a must for checking water levels. Look at "Dix River Near Danville, KY".