Pennsylvania · Cooksburg, PA

Clarion River float season

Gauge 03029500 on the Cook Forest — Cooksburg through the Wild and Scenic corridor. Floaters drift the tea-colored Clarion beneath old-growth pines in Cook Forest, a lazy Wild and Scenic ribbon that canoe and tube liveries have made a summer institution.

canoekayaktubing Fullest: Mar–May Leanest: Aug–Oct
Clarion River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 500 2k 4k 6k
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 Clarion River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Cooksburg gauge, the Clarion 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 March days at this gauge ran above 2,140 CFS; the September median is 346 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 1,150
February 1,120
March 2,140
April 1,980
May 1,480
June 728
July 471
August 384
September 346
October 395
November 826
December 1,380

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1939 — 86 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 43,200 CFS, in June 1972. 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 Pennsylvania float rivers

Common questions

When is the Clarion River usually at its fullest?

At the Cooksburg gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in March (about 2,140 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Clarion River?

The July median at this gauge is about 471 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 Clarion 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 87 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 03029500 (Clarion River at Cooksburg, PA), chosen because it best represents the Cook Forest — Cooksburg through the Wild and Scenic corridor. Daily records here reach back to 1939.

Data: USGS gauge 03029500, approved daily records 1939–2025, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.