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Elkhead Creek near Hayden

Highest listed crest 8.36 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft26 crests since 2001

The Elkhead Creek near Hayden crested above flood stage 1 time among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2001 to 2026. The highest, 8.36 ft on June 3, 2011, was minor flooding, 0.36 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.36 ft
June 3, 2011; 2,970 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 3, 2011
8.36 ft, minor flooding
Location
Routt County
Colorado

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Elkhead Creek near Hayden
Action stage7.06May 4, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.01Jun 3, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 2001 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhead Creek near Hayden, 2001 to 2026 246810ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Apr 28, 2001: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,420 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2002: 3.91 ft, below flood stage; 337 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2003: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2004: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 677 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2005: 6.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2006: 6.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2007: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 848 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2008: 7.90 ft, action stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2009: 7.56 ft, action stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2010: 7.80 ft, action stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2011: 8.36 ft, minor flooding; 2,970 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2012: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 984 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2013: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2014: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2015: 5.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2016: 7.32 ft, action stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2017: 6.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2018: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2019: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 7.45 ft, action stage; 2,250 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2021: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 566 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2022: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2023: 7.96 ft, action stage; 2,710 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2024: 6.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2025: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 531 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2026: 4.56 ft, below flood stage; 426 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.36 ft, Jun 3, 2011 20052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhead Creek near Hayden 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 0 2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 5 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 6.96 ft on May 9, 1996; 7.86 ft on May 7, 1997; 7.54 ft on May 4, 1998; 6.21 ft on May 10, 1999; 6.60 ft on Apr 29, 2000.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Elkhead Creek near Hayden
1Jun 3, 20118.36+0.36Minor2,970
2May 4, 20237.96−0.04Action2,710
3May 20, 20087.90−0.10Action2,650
4May 20, 20107.80−0.20Action2,570
5May 7, 20097.56−0.44Action2,410
6May 2, 20207.45−0.55Action2,250
7May 16, 20167.32−0.68Action2,140
8May 5, 20146.96−1.04Below flood stage1,840
9Apr 28, 20196.67−1.33Below flood stage1,620
10Apr 28, 20066.61−1.39Below flood stage2,030
11Apr 25, 20246.57−1.43Below flood stage1,540
12May 21, 20056.46−1.54Below flood stage1,630
13May 8, 20176.16−1.84Below flood stage1,270
14Apr 25, 20036.04−1.96Below flood stage1,450
15Apr 28, 20016.00−2.00Below flood stage1,420
16May 8, 20135.86−2.14Below flood stage1,160
17Apr 30, 20185.86−2.14Below flood stage1,080
18May 7, 20225.82−2.18Below flood stage1,030
19May 20, 20155.73−2.27Below flood stage1,000
20Apr 2, 20125.46−2.54Below flood stage984
21Mar 27, 20075.20−2.80Below flood stage848
22May 1, 20214.91−3.09Below flood stage566
23May 4, 20254.82−3.18Below flood stage531
24Apr 9, 20044.75−3.25Below flood stage677
25Mar 26, 20264.56−3.44Below flood stage426
26Apr 15, 20023.91−4.09Below flood stage337

Other gauges in Routt County

Flood gauges in Routt County
Milner7.58.08 ft, Jun 21, 20190

Routt County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ELHC2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.