River levels: what the number actually means
Seventeen rivers · the gauge to read, and the reading that matters
A USGS gauge gives you a number. It does not tell you whether the river is worth driving to, whether the shoals will be a clean run or a portage, or whether the sandbars you were going to camp on are underwater. That judgement comes from paddling the same water at different levels and writing down what you found.
This is that record for the blackwater rivers of South Georgia and North Florida. Every threshold below is from our own Paddler's Guide dataset, and every river here is one we have run. Where there is no gauge, the entry says so and tells you what to plan by instead.
The gauge for every river
| River | USGS station | Reading now | What the reading means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okefenokee Swamp | No gauge | — | There is no single paddling gauge for the swamp. Water level is managed and reported by the refuge, and trail conditions change with it -- in June 2026 five of seven color trails were impassable. Call 912-496-3331 (Tue-Thu, 7-10 AM ET) and confirm current trail status before every trip. Never treat a published trail as open. |
| Suwannee River | 02315500, 02319500, 02320500 | checking… | USGS 02315500 (White Springs) is the reference for BIG SHOALS: the drop is a clean run at roughly 55–65 ft on that gauge, washes out above ~65 ft, and gets rocky and technical below ~55 ft — a marked portage trail is always there, and you should portage at low water or if you're not solid in Class III. Downstream, use USGS 02319500 (Ellaville / Suwannee River SP) and USGS 02320500 (Branford; period-of-record mean ≈7,400 cfs — highest in March, lowest in Nov). Live stages: the SRWMD portal at mysuwanneeriver.org. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall. |
| St. Marys River | 02231000, 02228500 | checking… | USGS 02231000 — St. Marys River near Macclenny, FL, for flow, and NWS forecast point SMTG1 — St. Marys River at Traders Hill (water.noaa.gov/gauges/SMTG1) for stage at the takeout; the USGS feed for the Traders Hill gauge stopped in 2024, but the Weather Service still reads it live, and it is tidal there. Blackwater and rain-driven, so read the stage, the trend after rain and the NWS flood forecast together rather than any one number. Macclenny's action stage is 10 ft and flood stage 12 ft. The middle course runs most of the year; late fall through spring gives the most dependable water. USGS 02228500 — North Prong at Moniac covers the swamp outflow at the top of the run. |
| Satilla River | 02226500, 02228000 | checking… | Two gauges, per the Satilla Riverkeeper: USGS 02226500 (near Waycross) governs the upper landings — ideal paddling 6–10 ft, flood 17 ft; USGS 02228000 (near Atkinson) governs the lower landings — ideal 4–9 ft depending on section, flood 13 ft. Never launch at flood; the Satilla loses its sandbars and gains dangerous current fast. |
| Altamaha River | 02226000 | checking… | USGS 02226000 — Altamaha River at Doctortown, GA. Because it drains most of central Georgia, the Altamaha almost always has paddling water — the number you watch for is FLOOD, not low water. High flows bring strong current, buried sandbars, and debris; the lower reach below Jesup is tidal, so plan that stretch around the tide, not just the gauge. |
| Oconee River | 02223000, 02223500, 02224500 | checking… | USGS 02223000 at Milledgeville governs the upper free-flowing section, 02223500 at Dublin the middle, and 02224500 near Mount Vernon the lower river above the confluence. Releases from Sinclair Dam move the upper river independently of rainfall. |
| Ocmulgee River | 02213000, 02215000, 02215260, 02215500 | checking… | Four USGS gauges bracket the Macon-to-Lumber-City stretch: 02213000 at Macon, 02215000 at US 341 in Hawkinsville, 02215260 at Abbeville, and 02215500 at Lumber City. Check the gauge nearest your put-in before committing to a long segment -- some of these runs are 20 miles with no exit. |
| Alapaha River | 02316000, 02317500 | checking… | USGS 02316000 — Alapaha River near Alapaha, GA (US 82, the Sheboggy boat ramp), and USGS 02317500 — Alapaha River at Statenville, GA. Use the WWALS / Suwannee Riverkeeper ranges for whichever gauge is nearest your run: at the Alapaha (Sheboggy) gauge, 7.7 ft is the lowest boatable level and 10.6 ft the highest safe; at Statenville, 2.0 ft and 10.0 ft; at Irwinville (USGS 02315920), 1.8 ft and 5.9 ft. Below the floor you are dragging; above the ceiling it is pushy and the strainers are in play. The Alapaha only holds paddling water a handful of weeks to months a year — never assume it is running without checking. |
| Withlacoochee River (South GA / North FL) | 02319000, 02318500, 023177483 | checking… | USGS 02319000 — Withlacoochee River near Pinetta, FL. WWALS / Suwannee Riverkeeper range at Pinetta: 6.0 ft is the lowest boatable level, 12.5 ft the highest safe. Upstream, use the Quitman (US 84) gauge, USGS 02318500: 2.0 ft floor, 10.5 ft ceiling; and Skipper Bridge above Valdosta, USGS 023177483: 2.3 ft floor, 10.7 ft ceiling. Below the floor expect long drags over limestone; above the ceiling the current is fast and the trees are in the water. |
| Alapahoochee River | 02317500 (Alapaha at Statenville) | checking… | No active gauge. The Alapahoochee has no USGS stream gauge; the old GA 135 site (02317608) only ever took water samples, in 1998 and 1999. Read USGS 02317500 — Alapaha River at Statenville, GA, just below the confluence, as a basin rain signal: a sharp rise there after two or three inches of rain means the Alapahoochee is up too. Then look at the water from the bridge. This is a high-water-only run; without a recent rise it is dry or a drag. |
| Little Satilla River | 02227500 | checking… | USGS 02227500 — Little Satilla River near Offerman, GA. Blackwater and rain-driven: it runs after winter and spring rain and gets shallow and log-choked in drought. Watch the stage and the trend after rain, and never launch at flood. |
| Olustee Creek | 02321500 (Santa Fe at Worthington Springs) | checking… | No active gauge. The Olustee Creek gauge near Providence (USGS 02321896) stopped in 1996. Use USGS 02321500 — Santa Fe River at Worthington Springs, FL as the rain signal for this corner of the basin: Olustee runs when the upper Santa Fe is rising hard after heavy rain, and not otherwise. Confirm at the bridge before you unload. This is a flashy, high-water-only creek; it is dry or a drag-fest most of the year. |
| Crooked River | No gauge | — | There's no streamflow gauge here — this is tidal water. Plan by the NOAA tide tables for the Cumberland Sound / St. Marys entrance area: paddle out on the ebb and back on the flood, and respect the wind, which fights the tide and kicks up chop in the open marsh. |
| Santa Fe River | 02322500, 02321500 | checking… | USGS 02322500 — Santa Fe River near Fort White (the lower, spring-augmented river, steadier at roughly 600–1,000 cfs) — plus USGS 02321500 — near Worthington Springs for the tannic upper river, which drops low and disappears at O'Leno in dry spells. The lower river below River Rise carries paddling water essentially year-round. |
| Ichetucknee River | 02322700 | checking… | USGS 02322700 — Ichetucknee River near Hildreth. As a first-magnitude spring run it holds a near-constant flow (median around 356 cfs / ~212 million gallons a day), so there's no 'too low' to worry about — it's a stable, gentle float in every season. No live-reading gymnastics needed here. |
| Cathead Creek | No gauge | — | No streamflow gauge — plan by the NOAA tide tables for the Darien River / Altamaha delta. Launch to ride the tide out and back, and watch the wind across the open marsh stretches. |
| Black Creek — North Fork | 02246000 | checking… | USGS 02246000 — North Fork Black Creek near Middleburg, FL. Flashy blackwater with low baseflow and sharp storm spikes; paddlers often cite roughly 2.25–2.5 ft as a comfortable level. Below Middleburg the creek is tidal, so factor the tide on the lower reach. Check the stage and recent rain before you go. |
Season and timing, river by river
Okefenokee Swamp
No gauge
Cooler months are the season: 1-4 night trips are available May through February, but only 1- and 2-night trips during the March-April peak. Water level governs everything -- low water exposes peat blowups and stumps and can close trails outright.
Suwannee River
02315500, 02319500, 02320500
Late fall through spring. Winter brings the best chance of manatees downstream; summer thunderstorms can spike levels fast.
St. Marys River
02231000, 02228500
Runnable most of the year in the middle course; late fall through spring gives the most dependable water. The upper river drops low in summer droughts.
Satilla River
02226500, 02228000
Winter and spring give the most dependable water. Summer exposes broad sandbars but can run shallow.
Altamaha River
02226000
Runnable year-round thanks to its size. Spring and fall are most comfortable; summer brings heat and afternoon storms, and the lower reach needs tide planning.
Oconee River
02223000, 02223500, 02224500
Best in spring and early summer. Flow below Sinclair Dam is release-dependent -- check the dam schedule as well as the gauge.
Ocmulgee River
02213000, 02215000, 02215260, 02215500
Runnable year-round. Spring gives the most reliable water; late summer drops it and exposes the sandbars.
Alapaha River
02316000, 02317500
Winter and early spring after rain. This is a rain-dependent river — it can be unrunnable for much of a dry year, so watch the gauge and recent rainfall closely.
Withlacoochee River (South GA / North FL)
02319000, 02318500, 023177483
Late winter and spring after rain up top; the spring-fed Florida reach near Madison Blue holds water more steadily.
Alapahoochee River
02317500 (Alapaha at Statenville)
Only in a narrow high-water window after significant rain — otherwise too low or too dangerous.
Olustee Creek
02321500 (Santa Fe at Worthington Springs)
Only after solid rain — it's a high-water-only creek that's dry or unrunnable much of the year.
Crooked River
No gauge
Year-round; spring and fall are most comfortable, with fewer bugs and milder wind.
Santa Fe River
02322500, 02321500
Year-round on the spring-fed lower river; the upper river is tannic and best after rain. Summer brings heavier tubing traffic near the springs.
Ichetucknee River
02322700
Year-round. Summer is crowded with tubers (and the tube launch has capacity limits); fall through spring is quiet and clear.
What water level do you need to paddle the Satilla River?
Two gauges, per the Satilla Riverkeeper: USGS 02226500 (near Waycross) governs the upper landings — ideal paddling 6–10 ft, flood 17 ft; USGS 02228000 (near Atkinson) governs the lower landings — ideal 4–9 ft depending on section, flood 13 ft. Never launch at flood; the Satilla loses its sandbars and gains dangerous current fast.
What gauge do you read for Big Shoals on the Suwannee?
USGS 02315500 (White Springs) is the reference for BIG SHOALS: the drop is a clean run at roughly 55–65 ft on that gauge, washes out above ~65 ft, and gets rocky and technical below ~55 ft — a marked portage trail is always there, and you should portage at low water or if you're not solid in Class III. Downstream, use USGS 02319500 (Ellaville / Suwannee River SP) and USGS 02320500 (Branford; period-of-record mean ≈7,400 cfs — highest in March, lowest in Nov). Live stages: the SRWMD portal at mysuwanneeriver.org. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall. NWS action / flood stages: White Springs 69 / 74 ft, Ellaville 49 / 53 ft, Branford 22 / 25 ft (all NAVD88, the same frame these gauges read in). Above action stage the river is in the trees and the springs are blown out; wait for it to fall.
Is there a gauge for the Okefenokee?
There is no single paddling gauge for the swamp. Water level is managed and reported by the refuge, and trail conditions change with it -- in June 2026 five of seven color trails were impassable. Call 912-496-3331 (Tue-Thu, 7-10 AM ET) and confirm current trail status before every trip. Never treat a published trail as open.
How do you plan a trip on tidal water with no streamflow gauge?
There's no streamflow gauge here — this is tidal water. Plan by the NOAA tide tables for the Cumberland Sound / St. Marys entrance area: paddle out on the ebb and back on the flood, and respect the wind, which fights the tide and kicks up chop in the open marsh.
The level questions, answered one at a time
- What water level do you need to paddle the Satilla River?
- What level can you run Big Shoals on the Suwannee?
- What level do you need to paddle the Alapaha River?
- What water level do you need to paddle the St. Marys River?
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