Oklahoma · Tahlequah, OK
Illinois River float season
Gauge 07196500 on the Watts and No Head Hollow down through outfitter row to Tahlequah. Oklahoma's float-trip capital, where outfitter buses shuttle summer crowds to gravel bars, bluffs, and rope swings on clear Ozark water.
Right now at this gauge
loading CFS
Checking the live gauge…
Well above typical for this date
Live reading from the USGS gauge page for Illinois River. Provisional data — subject to revision.
The year on this river
In a typical year at the Tahlequah gauge, the Illinois River 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 961 CFS; the September median is 227 CFS.
| Month | Typical flow (CFS) | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| January | 487 | |
| February | 652 | |
| March | 825 | |
| April | 951 | |
| May | 961 | |
| June | 669 | |
| July | 316 | |
| August | 248 | |
| September | 227 | |
| October | 242 | |
| November | 347 | |
| December | 436 |
Record context
This gauge has measured daily flow since 1936 — 90 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 107,000 CFS, in December 2016. 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
-
Baron Fork Creek
Christie and Welling down to the Illinois River confluence near Eldon
Fullest: Mar–May
-
Blue River
Blue River falls country near Tishomingo
Fullest: Mar–May
-
Flint Creek
Flint Creek through Kansas, OK to the Illinois River
Fullest: Mar–May
-
Glover River
Battiest down to the Little River confluence near Glover
Fullest: Feb–Apr
-
Kiamichi River
Canoe-camping run from the Highway 3 crossings near Rattan down to Antlers
Fullest: Mar–May
-
Lower Illinois River
Tenkiller Dam tailwater down to the Arkansas River near Gore
Fullest: Mar–May
Common questions
When is the Illinois River usually at its fullest?
At the Tahlequah gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in May (about 961 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.
What is a typical summer flow on the Illinois River?
The July median at this gauge is about 316 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 Illinois 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 90 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 07196500 (Illinois River near Tahlequah, OK), chosen because it best represents the Watts and No Head Hollow down through outfitter row to Tahlequah. Daily records here reach back to 1936.
Data: USGS gauge 07196500, approved daily records 1936–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.