Texas whitewater - Salado Creek, Bell County

Bell county, FM 2843 to Salado section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II+     5 miles
 
So, after reading the above review, the wife and I decided to give this river a shot (we live close by anyway). We have had tons of rain this year, and the water was moving at a pretty good clip. However, the creek bed is wide, making the water shallow. We spent at least 50% of the trip walking. There are a few deep pools, but they are few and far between. Also, not mentioned above, we crossed 4 dams. 2 were easy, 2 were not. Some of the scenery was very nice, but personally, I think it wasn't nice enough to risk twisting an ankle.
If you do decide
    to go, give yourself an minimum of 5 hours to complete the trip. Says Jason E

If you're coming from Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood it's not a long drive at all to the put-in location, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. The FM 2843 to
Salado section of Salado Creek is 5 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be a class II+ section. The average Texas whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be easier to run than those in other states, so if you're not from around here don't forget that a large number of rivers in this state are quite easy. Getting some good exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors are sure to keep you coming back for more. This is the only paddling stretch along Salado Creek. This stretch has has enough mileage, suitable for an afternoon  
trip. The nature scenery of Bell County and the cool fresh water make the trip here worthwhile. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. You might be into whitewater rafting or kayaking or both, doesn't matter, this is an area with plenty of rivers for that.

Briefly about the general area:
There's good hiking along the Chalk Ridge Falls Park Trail. For the duration of the warm days of summer at Salado Creek temperatures are usually in the 90's. Once the sun is down it sinks down to the 70's. All through the wintertime this place gets highs in the 50's, and nighttime lows in the 30's for Salado Creek. The amount of precipitation that falls at Salado Creek is close to the national average; most of the rain falls during May, and July is the month with the least moisture.

Salado Creek, FM 2843 to Salado road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II+
Length: 5 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 30.92416
Longitude: -97.59306

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 30.94527
Longitude: -97.53473

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Current weather conditions at Salado Creek, Texas
WXPort

Local climate location: STILLHOUSE HOLLOW DAM 17 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Super 8 Salado, Salado
2 miles away
**Outdoor pool temporarily closed** Welcome to the Super 8 in the Village of Salado. Centrally located between Austin and Waco on I-35, our hotel is just minutes from historic downtown and famous ant...

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SALADO, Salado
3 miles away
Enjoy Our Salado, Texas, Hotel's Premier Accommodations The smoke-free Holiday Inn Express® Salado - Belton hotel is a quality, practical choice if you're traveling Central Texas' busy I-35 corri...

Best Western Salado Inn, Salado
3 miles away
The Best Western Salado Inn is an interior corridor hotel with a meeting room, exercise facility, indoor pool and a hot tub, business center, Jacuzzi? room and complementary hot breakfast. The proper...



OTHER_INFO
  All Texas Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Texas.
Books about whitewater paddling on Salado Creek, Texas
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Salado Creek, Texas.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Texas

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas, the metro area neareast to Salado Creek. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Salado Creek.
 Whitewater Near Salado Creek:
Berry Creek, Williamson County , 16 miles away, Class II - 8 miles long (Shell Road to Weir)
San Gabriel River, Williamson County , 18 miles away, Class II+ - 10 miles long (Georgetown City Pk to Jonah)
San Gabriel River - North Fork, Williamson County , 19 miles away, Class II - 4 miles long (L. Georgetown to Georgetown)
San Gabriel River - South Fork, Williamson County , 24 miles away, Class II - 18 miles long (Liberty Hill to Georgetown)
Brushy Creek, Williamson County , 25 miles away, Class II+ - 6 miles long (FM 620 to Forest Cr Golf Club Road)
San Gabriel River - North Fork, Williamson County , 26 miles away, Class II-III - 8 miles long (CR 200 to US 183)
Rocky Creek, Burnet County , 27 miles away, Class II - 7.5 miles long (US 183 to Oakalla)
Bear Creek, Williamson County , 29 miles away, Class II-III - 6 miles long (Cty Road 274 to North Fork San Gabriel River)
 Hotels Near Salado Creek:
Super 8 Salado, Salado , 2 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SALADO, Salado , 3 miles away
Best Western Salado Inn, Salado , 3 miles away
La Quinta Inn AND Suites Belton, Belton , 8 miles away
Budget Host Inn Belton, Belton , 9 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Salado Creek:
Belton Koa Kampground, Belton, 8 miles away
Belton / Temple / Killeen KOA, Belton, 10 miles away
Big Oak Estates, Harker Heights, 11 miles away
 Trails Near Salado Creek:
Chalk Ridge Falls Park Trail, Bell County , 5 miles away
Dana Peak Park Trail, Bell County , 6 miles away
Miller Springs Nature Center Trail, Bell County , 12 miles away
Good Water Trail, Williamson County , 20 miles away
 Golf Courses Near Salado Creek:
Mill Creek Golf Club, Salado , 4 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater