4 USGS Streamgages
Slate River flows and levels
Slate River is gauged at 4 USGS streamgages in Colorado, each tracked by Rivermatics. The gauged reach falls about 199 feet, from 9,017 feet down to 8,818. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned 14-day flow outlook at 1 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.
| Gauge | State | Drainage sq mi | Elevation ft | April p50 cfs | July p50 cfs | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slate River Ab Baxter Gl @Hwy 135 near Crested Butte, CO | CO | 73 | 8,818 | 134.3 | 110.5 | 14-day + temp |
| Slate River above O-B-J Creek (SR2) near Crested Butte | CO | — | 9,017 | — | — | — |
| Slate River below O-B-J Creek (SR3) near Crested Butte | CO | — | 8,920 | — | — | — |
| Slate River below O-B-J Creek (SR4) near Crested Butte | CO | — | 8,947 | — | — | — |
Common questions
- How many gauges are on the Slate River?
- Rivermatics tracks 4 USGS streamgages on the Slate River, across Colorado. 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 Slate River?
- Yes, at 1 of the 4 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 Slate 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.