Rivermatics

31 USGS Streamgages

Colorado River flows and levels

Colorado River is gauged at 31 USGS streamgages in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, each tracked by Rivermatics. The mainstem runs about 1,328 miles (2,138 km) from headwaters to outlet. It drains roughly 215,340 square miles at its outlet. The gauged reach falls about 8,661 feet, from 8,765 feet down to 104. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned 14-day flow outlook at 22 of them.

Gauges on this river, upstream to downstream

Ordered by drainage area, which is how far down the river each gauge sits. April and July figures are long-term median daily flows for that month from the USGS record — historical normals, not a forecast and not today's reading.

USGS streamgages on this river, ordered upstream to downstream
Gauge State Drainage sq mi Elevation ft April p50 cfs July p50 cfs Forecast
Colorado River below Baker Gulch near Grand Lake, CO CO 64 8,765 25 75.2 14-day + temp
Colorado River below Shadow Mountain Reservoir, CO CO 190 8,332 24.8 75.4 14-day
Colorado River below Lake Granby, CO CO 312 8,066 19.9 92.7 14-day
Colorado River near Granby, CO CO 323 7,973 30.3 74.4 14-day + temp
Colorado River at Windy Gap, near Granby, CO CO 788 7,795 216.7 294.2 14-day + temp
Colorado River near Kremmling, CO CO 2,379 7,321 828.5 1,116 14-day + temp
Colorado River at Catamount Bridge, CO CO 2,930 6,550 1,040.7 1,203.9 14-day + temp
Colorado River near Dotsero, CO CO 4,390 6,130 1,562.3 2,349 14-day + temp
Colorado River above Glenwood Springs, CO CO 4,556 5,815 — — —
Colorado River above Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs, CO CO 4,560 5,735 — — —
Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, CO CO 6,014 5,711 2,388.7 4,306.8 14-day
Colorado River below South Canyon Creek near Glenwood Springs, CO CO 6,050 5,644 — — —
Colorado River near Cameo, CO CO 7,986 4,831 2,719 4,655.5 14-day + temp
Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line CO 17,849 4,360 4,664 5,045.8 14-day + temp
Colorado River near Cisco, UT UT 24,100 4,126 6,521.7 7,107.4 14-day + temp
Colorado River at Potash, UT UT 25,406 3,977 4,350 4,401.9 14-day
Colorado River at Gypsum Canyon near Hite, UT UT 71,200 3,630 9,237.7 10,347.4 14-day + temp
Colorado River Ab Dirty Devil River near Hite, UT UT 75,530 3,612 — — —
Colorado River at Lees Ferry, AZ AZ 111,800 3,143 11,833.3 14,935.5 14-day + temp
Colorado River above Little Colorado River near Desert View AZ 114,272 2,713 11,290 15,864.5 —
Colorado River near Grand Canyon, AZ AZ 141,600 2,419 12,493.3 15,564.5 14-day
Colorado River above National Canyon near Supai AZ 147,931 1,760 11,372.3 14,008.4 —
Colorado River below Hoover Dam, Az-Nv NV 171,700 676 16,620 14,846.1 —
Colorado River below Palo Verde Dam, Az-Ca CA 182,200 262 10,375.7 9,819 14-day
Colorado River above Imperial Dam, Az-Ca CA 188,500 — 11,036.7 9,979 14-day + temp
Colorado River below Imperial Dam, Az-Ca CA 188,500 133 502.2 369.2 14-day
Colorado River below Laguna Dam, Az-Ca CA 188,600 123 498.7 449.9 14-day
Colorado River below Yuma Main Canal Ww at Yuma, AZ CA 246,500 104 901.7 823.1 14-day
Colorado River at Nib, above Morelos Dam, AZ AZ 246,700 119 3,252 2,629 —
Colorado River below Cooper Wasteway near Yuma, AZ AZ — — — — —
Colorado River. above Gunnison River. at Grand Junction, CO CO — 4,577 1,603.3 902.4 14-day + temp

Typical flow by month at Colorado River. above Gunnison River. at Grand Junction, CO

The furthest-downstream gauge on this river, so the fullest flow it carries here. Long-term daily discharge percentiles from the USGS record (up to 2 years of data), averaged within each month. These describe the historical normal range — they are not a forecast and not today's reading.

Historical monthly discharge percentiles in cubic feet per second
Month Low p10 Typical p50 High p90 Range
January — 1,401.6 —
February — 1,640.7 —
March — 1,629.7 —
April — 1,603.3 —
May — 2,438.1 —
June — 3,880.3 —
July — 902.4 —
August — 502.8 —
September — 714.8 —
October — 1,241.1 —
November — 1,727.3 —
December — 1,502.9 —

All values in cubic feet per second (cfs).

Common questions

When does the Colorado River run highest?
June, on the long-term record at Colorado River. above Gunnison River. at Grand Junction, CO — the furthest-downstream gauge Rivermatics tracks on this river. Median daily flow there is about 3,880.3 cfs that month, against 502.8 cfs in August, the lowest. Upstream gauges peak on their own schedule; the table on this page gives April and July for each.
How many gauges are on the Colorado River?
Rivermatics tracks 31 USGS streamgages on the Colorado River, across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Each has its own page with the site's full flow record and monthly normals. The river may carry other gauges that publish neither daily values nor discharge statistics; those are not tracked here.
Is there a flow forecast for the Colorado River?
Yes, at 22 of the 31 gauges. Rivermatics trains a machine-learned model — a temporal-fusion transformer — on each basin's observed flows, weather and snowpack, and issues a daily outlook reaching 14 days ahead: a median estimate inside a confidence band, not a single number to bet on. Every forecast is scored against days the model never trained on, and that track record is published on each gauge's live screen.
Can I use Colorado River data for flood or safety decisions?
No. Rivermatics provides estimates, not guarantees, and the readings and forecasts here may be delayed, inaccurate, or wrong. Do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision. Check the National Weather Service and USGS directly, and use your own judgment.

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