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Riverfront Canal Cruises

James River near Richmond, VA

River62.1 mi

Around here

Around James River

Bear Creek Lake State Park17.1 miGreen Springs24.1 mi20 mi

Data Source: Recreation.gov · Source: National Park Service. No claim to original U.S. Government works. · Public land: USGS PAD-US

About this river

James River is a 62.1 mile river near Riverfront Canal Cruises in Virginia. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge James River at Scottsville, VA (site 02029000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.

Typical flow by month

1980 to 2026

James River typically runs highest in March, at a median 6,570 cfs, and lowest in September, at 1,355 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 199,000 cfs, in 1986.

Show the numbers
Typical flow by month at James River at Scottsville, VA, in cfs
MonthTypical (cfs)Usual range (cfs)
January4,3202,570 to 7,260
February5,2303,520 to 8,670
March6,5704,260 to 9,850
April5,7353,720 to 10,000
May5,3203,540 to 8,100
June2,7751,920 to 4,980
July1,9001,460 to 2,930
August1,6401,170 to 2,340
September1,3551,040 to 2,120
October1,4301,070 to 2,940
November2,0101,275 to 4,545
December3,6802,030 to 6,360

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 47 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for James River at Scottsville, VA (site 02029000). 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 James River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.

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Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show James River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.

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