Wisconsin · Spring Green, WI

Wisconsin River float season

Gauge 05407000 on the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, Spring Green to Muscoda. The Midwest's great sandbar-camping river, where canoeists claim their own island for the night on a wide, dam-free riverway.

canoekayaksup Fullest: Mar–May Leanest: Aug–Oct
Wisconsin River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2k 10k 20k 30k
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 Wisconsin River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Spring Green gauge, the Wisconsin 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 April days at this gauge ran above 14,000 CFS; the August median is 5,480 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 6,200
February 6,600
March 9,000
April 14,000
May 10,500
June 8,800
July 6,440
August 5,480
September 5,685
October 5,670
November 6,670
December 6,300

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1914 — 112 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 79,500 CFS, in September 1938. 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 Wisconsin float rivers

Common questions

When is the Wisconsin River usually at its fullest?

At the Spring Green gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 14,000 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Wisconsin River?

The July median at this gauge is about 6,440 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 Wisconsin 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 112 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 05407000 (WISCONSIN RIVER AT MUSCODA, WI), chosen because it best represents the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, Spring Green to Muscoda. Daily records here reach back to 1914.

Data: USGS gauge 05407000, approved daily records 1914–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.