Colorado · Durango, CO

Animas River float season

Gauge 09361500 on the Durango town run through Santa Rita whitewater park. Runs straight through downtown Durango, where rafts, tubes, and playboaters share the Santa Rita whitewater park waves.

raftkayaktubingsup Fullest: May–Jul Leanest: Dec–Feb
Animas River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 400 1.5k 3k 5k
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 Animas River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Durango gauge, the Animas River runs fullest May–Jul and leanest Dec–Feb. 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 June days at this gauge ran above 2,585 CFS; the January median is 190 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 190
February 192
March 246
April 719
May 1,990
June 2,585
July 806
August 447
September 344
October 304
November 256
December 200

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1898 — 128 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 10,700 CFS, in June 1949. 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 Colorado float rivers

Common questions

When is the Animas River usually at its fullest?

At the Durango gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is May–Jul, with the single highest monthly median in June (about 2,585 CFS). The leanest months are usually Dec–Feb.

What is a typical summer flow on the Animas River?

The July median at this gauge is about 806 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 Animas 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 115 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 09361500 (ANIMAS RIVER AT DURANGO, CO), chosen because it best represents the Durango town run through Santa Rita whitewater park. Daily records here reach back to 1898.

Data: USGS gauge 09361500, approved daily records 1898–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.