Pennsylvania · Ansonia, PA

Pine Creek float season

Gauge 01548500 on the Pine Creek Gorge (PA Grand Canyon) — Ansonia to Blackwell. Spring flows carry canoes and rafts 17 miles through the hemlock walls of Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon, past waterfalls that pour straight into the creek.

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

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Ansonia gauge, the Pine 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 April days at this gauge ran above 1,580 CFS; the September median is 93 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 516
February 481
March 1,310
April 1,580
May 872
June 324
July 153
August 105
September 93
October 142
November 421
December 625

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1919 — 107 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 42,600 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 Pine Creek usually at its fullest?

At the Ansonia gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 1,580 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Pine Creek?

The July median at this gauge is about 153 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 Pine 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 108 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 01548500 (Pine Creek at Cedar Run, PA), chosen because it best represents the Pine Creek Gorge (PA Grand Canyon) — Ansonia to Blackwell. Daily records here reach back to 1919.

Data: USGS gauge 01548500, approved daily records 1919–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.