Alaska · Cooper Landing, AK

Kenai River float season

Gauge 15258000 on the Cooper Landing to Jim's Landing above Skilak Lake. Impossibly turquoise water out of Kenai Lake, floated by rafts and drift boats chasing sockeye beneath the Kenai Mountains.

raftdriftboatkayak Fullest: Jun–Aug Leanest: Feb–Apr
Kenai River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 750 3k 6k 10k
median flow for the date middle half of years (25th–75th percentile) most years (10th–90th)

Right now at this gauge

loading CFS

Checking the live gauge…

Live reading from the USGS gauge page for Kenai River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Cooper Landing gauge, the Kenai River runs fullest Jun–Aug and leanest Feb–Apr. Where today's reading falls inside that rhythm matters more than the raw number — the same flow that feels thin in spring can be the summer norm. Half of all past July days at this gauge ran above 6,820 CFS; the April median is 469 CFS.

Median of daily flows in each month across this gauge's full record — half of past days ran above these figures, half below.
Month Typical flow (CFS)
January 710
February 596
March 489
April 469
May 1,830
June 5,675
July 6,820
August 6,070
September 4,620
October 2,860
November 1,465
December 993

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1947 — 79 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 22,500 CFS, in September 1974. Rivers do that sometimes; it's why the safety panel above isn't decoration.

Planning dates? The trip-window checker shows what flows have historically looked like on any week you pick for this river, or see what a CFS actually looks like.

More Alaska float rivers

Common questions

When is the Kenai River usually at its fullest?

At the Cooper Landing gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Jun–Aug, with the single highest monthly median in July (about 6,820 CFS). The leanest months are usually Feb–Apr.

What is a typical summer flow on the Kenai River?

The July median at this gauge is about 6,820 CFS — half of past Julys ran higher, half lower. Check the ribbon chart above to see how summer compares with the rest of the year here.

Is the Kenai River safe to float right now?

No flow number can answer that, and this site never labels a river safe. What the data can tell you is how today's reading compares with 79 years of this date's history — well above typical means pushier, colder, faster water. Pair that context with a PFD, a look at the river from the bank, and a call to a local outfitter before you commit.

Which USGS gauge does this page use?

USGS gauge 15258000 (KENAI R AT COOPER LANDING AK), chosen because it best represents the Cooper Landing to Jim's Landing above Skilak Lake. Daily records here reach back to 1947.

Data: USGS gauge 15258000, approved daily records 1947–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.