Oklahoma · Kansas, OK

Flint Creek float season

Gauge 07196000 on the Flint Creek through Kansas, OK to the Illinois River. A cold, clear Ozark creek that packs swimming holes and quick riffles into a float small enough to feel like a local secret.

canoekayaktubing Fullest: Mar–May Leanest: Aug–Oct
Flint Creek — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 40 150 400 600
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 Flint Creek. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Kansas gauge, the Flint Creek runs fullest Mar–May and leanest Aug–Oct. 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 May days at this gauge ran above 110 CFS; the September median is 31 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 61
February 71
March 97
April 109
May 110
June 74
July 45
August 35
September 31
October 33
November 49
December 62

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1956 — 70 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 14,500 CFS, in November 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 Oklahoma float rivers

Common questions

When is the Flint Creek usually at its fullest?

At the Kansas gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in May (about 110 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Flint Creek?

The July median at this gauge is about 45 CFS — half of past Julys ran higher, half lower. Late summer is this river's lean season, so expect readings to drift down as the season goes on.

Is the Flint 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 66 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 07196000 (Flint Creek near Kansas, OK), chosen because it best represents the Flint Creek through Kansas, OK to the Illinois River. Daily records here reach back to 1956.

Data: USGS gauge 07196000, approved daily records 1956–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.