Colorado · Golden, CO

Clear Creek float season

Gauge 06719505 on the Clear Creek whitewater park through Golden. Golden's whitewater park turns a lunch break into a river trip, with tubers and kayakers lapping the town features all summer.

tubingkayak Fullest: May–Jul Leanest: Jan–Mar
Clear Creek — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 75 300 750 1k
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 Clear Creek. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Golden gauge, the Clear Creek runs fullest May–Jul and leanest Jan–Mar. 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 763 CFS; the January median is 40 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 40
February 41
March 43
April 69
May 227
June 763
July 319
August 160
September 112
October 81
November 59
December 46

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1975 — 51 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 2,300 CFS, in June 1995. 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 Clear Creek usually at its fullest?

At the Golden gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is May–Jul, with the single highest monthly median in June (about 763 CFS). The leanest months are usually Jan–Mar.

What is a typical summer flow on the Clear Creek?

The July median at this gauge is about 319 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 Clear Creek 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 51 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 06719505 (CLEAR CREEK AT GOLDEN, CO), chosen because it best represents the Clear Creek whitewater park through Golden. Daily records here reach back to 1975.

Data: USGS gauge 06719505, approved daily records 1975–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.