Olentangy River — Delaware to Worthington: River Level Today — Can You Paddle It?

At 1,810 cfs the Olentangy River is 610 cfs over the 1,200 cfs ceiling for this reach — far enough past it that this is not a level to be on the water at. It is still climbing.

Over the last 24 hours it has gone from 302 cfs to 1,810 cfs, 499% up. Daily means over the past 7 days have run between 32 cfs and 2,230 cfs, 68% lower at the end of the week than the start. The last day and the week as a whole point opposite ways, which usually means a recent rain bump on top of a longer falling trend — worth a second look at the chart before you commit to the drive.

Olentangy River at Delaware to Worthington is a 10-mile Class I run in Ohio — easygoing moving water with light riffles and nothing technical. Most paddlers put in at Delaware area access (below Delaware Dam) and take out at Highbanks / Worthington area access, a trip that runs about 4.5 hours at a relaxed pace.

Whether it's worth the drive comes down to flow. This section generally paddles well at 60–1,200 cfs (a conservative estimate — see our methodology). Much below that and the Olentangy River gets low and bony, so you end up scraping gravel and walking the shallows; well above the top of the range it turns fast, cold and pushy, which is a more serious day than most casual boaters want. We read USGS gauge 03225500 about every 30 minutes and compare the live number to that window, so the verdict at the top of this page reflects conditions right now rather than a monthly average.

Flows here are usually most dependable April–October. Spring can run high after rain or snowmelt, and late summer often drops too low to float well — but the gauge always beats the calendar, so check today's reading before you go.