Elkhorn Creek

Infobox River
river_name = Elkhorn Creek


caption = North Fork of Elkhorn Creek in Georgetown, Kentucky.
origin = Confluence of North and South forks in Franklin County
mouth = Kentucky River in Franklin County
basin_countries =
length =
elevation = 650 ft (198 m) Gnis|499540|North Elkhorn Creek]
mouth_elevation = 456 ft (139 m) Gnis|491690]
discharge =
watershed = Elkhorn Creek is a stream running through several counties in Central Kentucky. It derives its name from its shape as seen on a map. The North Fork of the Elkhorn starts just east of Lexington and flows through Fayette and Scott counties, and into Franklin County, where it meets the South Fork at the Forks of the Elkhorn east of Frankfort. The South Fork begins in Jessamine County and flows through Fayette, Woodford, Scott and Franklin counties to reach the Forks of the Elkhorn. The South Fork of the Elkhorn defines the boundary between Scott County and Woodford County. Beyond the Forks of the Elkhorn the confluent waters flow north and empty into the Kentucky River north of Frankfort.

Species of fish in the Elkhorn include but are not limited to rock bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and bluegill.

The Elkhorn Creek is mentioned in the poem "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman:

"A Southerner soon as a Northerner, a planter nonchalant and hospitable down by the Oconee I live, A Yankee bound my own way ready for trade, my joints the limberest joints on earth and the sternest joints on earth, A Kentuckian walking the vale of the Elkhorn in my deer-skin leggings, a Louisianian or Georgian,"

References