South Platte River in Colorado
Around here
Around South Platte River
Data Source: Recreation.gov · Public land: USGS PAD-US
About this river
South Platte River is a 42.0 mile river. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge South Platte River at Fort Lupton, CO (site 06721000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 9. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1929 to 2026
South Platte River typically runs highest in June, at a median 620 cfs, and lowest in October, at 165 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 8,410 cfs, in 2013.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 227 | 124 to 283 |
| February | 235 | 124 to 316 |
| March | 252 | 104 to 351 |
| April | 204 | 110 to 380 |
| May | 432 | 235 to 1,050 |
| June | 620 | 369 to 1,215 |
| July | 348 | 251 to 532 |
| August | 275 | 150 to 410 |
| September | 176 | 81 to 257 |
| October | 165 | 91 to 257 |
| November | 257 | 123 to 390 |
| December | 231 | 121 to 310 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 51 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for South Platte River at Fort Lupton, CO. (site 06721000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
8 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of South Platte River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Stalker Lake State Wildlife AreaChief Creek - Stalker LakePublic
- Jackson Lake State ParkJackson LakePublic
- Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPrewitt ReservoirPublic
- North Sterling State ParkNorth Sterling ReservoirPublic
- North Sterling State ParkNorth Sterling ReservoirPublic
- Jumbo Reservoir (Julesburg) State Wildlife AreaJumbo ReservoirPublic
- Jumbo Reservoir (Julesburg) State Wildlife AreaJumbo ReservoirPublic
- Jumbo Reservoir (Julesburg) State Wildlife AreaJumbo ReservoirPublic
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show South Platte River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.
