Live USGS flows · decades of history
When is the river good to float?
Not folklore — gauge records. Pick a river and see how it's running right now against every year on record for today's date, plus the months it typically runs full.
Your rivers
Saved on this device only — no account, no tracking.
The rivers people name first
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Buffalo National River · Ponca
Arkansas — Upper river, Ponca to Kyles Landing
Fullest: Mar–May · Leanest: Aug–Oct
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Salt River · Mesa
Arizona — Lower Salt below Stewart Mountain Dam, Blue Point to Granite Reef
Fullest: Jun–Aug · Leanest: Nov–Jan
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American River
California — Lower American, Sunrise Avenue to River Bend through Sacramento
Fullest: May–Jul · Leanest: Sep–Nov
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Current River
Missouri — Ozark National Scenic Riverways through Van Buren to Big Spring
Fullest: Mar–May · Leanest: Aug–Oct
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Delaware River · Milford
New Jersey — Middle Delaware through the Delaware Water Gap
Fullest: Mar–May · Leanest: Aug–Oct
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Illinois River
Oklahoma — Watts and No Head Hollow down through outfitter row to Tahlequah
Fullest: Mar–May · Leanest: Aug–Oct
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Deschutes River · Bend
Oregon — Riverbend Park through the Bend Whitewater Park to Drake Park
Fullest: Jun–Aug · Leanest: Nov–Jan
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Comal River
Texas — Prince Solms Park through the Tube Chute to the Guadalupe confluence
Fullest: Jan–Mar · Leanest: Jul–Sep
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Guadalupe River · Sattler
Texas — Canyon Dam tailrace from Sattler through the Horseshoe Loop toward New Braunfels
Fullest: Apr–Jun · Leanest: Oct–Dec
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Yakima River
Washington — Yakima Canyon: Ringer Loop through Umtanum to Roza
Fullest: Jun–Aug · Leanest: Nov–Jan
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New River (WV)
West Virginia — Lower New River Gorge, Cunard to Fayette Station
Fullest: Feb–Apr · Leanest: Aug–Oct
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Shenandoah River (Main Stem)
West Virginia — The Staircase, Bloomery to the Harpers Ferry confluence
Fullest: Feb–Apr · Leanest: Aug–Oct
How RiverDates reads a river
1 · Decades of dailies
Every gauge here carries a long record of daily flows — most reach back 40 years or more. That history is the only honest definition of “normal” a river has.
2 · The flow ribbon
Each river's year becomes a ribbon: the median through the middle, shaded bands for the typical range. You can see the float season before you read a word.
3 · Today, pinned on top
Your browser asks the USGS for the reading from the last hour and pins it on the ribbon. Above the 90th percentile for the date? The page switches to caution orange and says so plainly.
Tools for the planning stage
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Trip-window checker
Pick a river and a future week — see what flows that week has brought across the record.
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What is CFS, really?
Cubic feet per second, translated into things you can picture.
Common questions
What does “the 35th percentile for this date” mean?
Line up every reading this gauge has ever taken on today's calendar date — often 50 years or more of them — and sort them. A reading at the 35th percentile sits above roughly a third of those years and below the rest: on the low side of typical, but not unusual. It's the honest way to say “high” or “low,” because it compares the river with itself, on this date.
Where does the data come from?
Everything comes from U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges. The seasonal bands are built from each gauge's full approved daily record (retrieved 2026-08-07); the right-now numbers come straight from the USGS live-readings service in your browser. USGS data is public domain, and every river page links its gauge.
Can RiverDates tell me if a river is safe to float?
No — and it never will. Flow context tells you whether a river is running above or below its own normal, which is worth knowing. It cannot see a strainer, a low-head dam, cold water, or the skill of the people in your group. Wear a PFD, scout your run, and ask a local outfitter about today's hazards.
How fresh is the live reading?
Most USGS gauges report every 15 to 60 minutes, and each reading here shows its own timestamp. Live values are provisional — the USGS revises them before they become part of the official record.