Around here
Around Elkhorn Creek
Camping3
Data Source: Recreation.gov · Public land: USGS PAD-US
About this river
Elkhorn Creek is a 49.1 mile river. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Elkhorn Creek near Penrose, IL (site 05444000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 6. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1940 to 2026
Elkhorn Creek typically runs highest in April, at a median 96 cfs, and lowest in September, at 50 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 5,430 cfs, in 1973.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57 | 34 to 92 |
| February | 60 | 40 to 108 |
| March | 95 | 62 to 166 |
| April | 96 | 65 to 161 |
| May | 95 | 62 to 147 |
| June | 91 | 58 to 156 |
| July | 72 | 44 to 120 |
| August | 58 | 36 to 87 |
| September | 50 | 34 to 82 |
| October | 52 | 34 to 78 |
| November | 53 | 36 to 86 |
| December | 55 | 36 to 90 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 87 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Elkhorn Creek near Penrose, IL (site 05444000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
4 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Elkhorn Creek, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Hennepin Canal Bridge 45 - boat rampPublic
- Oppold MarinaPublic
- Lawrence ParkRock RiverPublic
- Jim Arduini Boat LaunchPublic
Made to print
Put Elkhorn Creek on your wall
This river section as an art print, drawn over the real terrain with its miles, plus the trails, roads and peaks around it. Pick the colors and the size, and see the finished print before you buy. From $39, shipping included.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Elkhorn Creek's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.
