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River Levels

South Dakota river levels

Live streamflow for 25 gauged South Dakota reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.

50% of gauged South Dakota rivers are running below normal for the date, as of October 8, 2026.

Of 24 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 12 are below normal (6 of them much below), 12 are in the normal range, and 0 are above normal (0 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.

To cite: Paddling Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, paddlinghubs.com/flows/south-dakota. The daily normals behind it are a free download.

RiverFlowUsually todayVs normal
Big Sioux Rivernear Paddle Boyz Kayak Rental211 cfs5.31 ft198 cfsNormal51st percentile · 55 yr record
Big Sioux Rivernear Sodak Outdoor Kayak Rentals161 cfs3.47 ft115 cfsNormal59th percentile · 78 yr record
Redwater Rivernear Spearfish Canyon Adventures117 cfs3.01 ft140 cfsNormal35th percentile · 81 yr record
Rock Rivernear Paddle Boyz Kayak Rental116 cfs7.39 ft118 cfsNormal49th percentile · 25 yr record
Redwater Creeknear Spearfish Canyon Adventures32 cfs2.94 ft28 cfsNormal61st percentile · 72 yr record
Cold Brooknear South Dakota Outdoor Shop25 cfs0.88 ft25 cfsNormal51st percentile · 57 yr record
Split Rock Creeknear Sodak Outdoor Kayak Rentals25 cfs1.92 ft24 cfsNormal50th percentile · 61 yr record
Rapid Creeknear Pactola Marina22 cfs7.27 ft25 cfsNormal39th percentile · 63 yr record
Little Spearfish Creeknear Spearfish Canyon Adventures12 cfs4.76 ft17 cfsBelow normal13th percentile · 38 yr record
Beaver Creeknear South Dakota Outdoor Shop8.7 cfs4.38 ft7.0 cfsNormal65th percentile · 88 yr record
Rapid Creeknear My XO Adventures8.2 cfs2.62 ft11 cfsMuch below normal7th percentile · 34 yr record
Johnson Lateralnear Spearfish Canyon Adventures8.1 cfs1.58 ft8.2 cfsNormal49th percentile · 73 yr record
South Fork Castle Creeknear Bicycles & Boats Rental8.1 cfs2.77 ft11 cfsBelow normal23rd percentile · 78 yr record
Skunk Creeknear Flow and Paddle5.9 cfs2.32 ft8.3 cfsNormal40th percentile · 78 yr record
Whitewood Creeknear Spearfish Canyon Adventures5.0 cfs3.42 ft12 cfsBelow normal10th percentile · 45 yr record
Boxelder Creeknear The Outdoor Campus - Rapid City3.5 cfs1.15 ft7.7 cfsBelow normal20th percentile · 60 yr record
East Fork Vermillion Rivernear Flow and Paddle3.0 cfs5.01 ft22 cfsMuch below normal5th percentile · 31 yr record
Battle Creeknear My XO Adventures2.4 cfs2.54 ft5.6 cfsBelow normal24th percentile · 77 yr record
French Creeknear South Dakota Outdoor Shop0.9 cfs0.57 ft3.5 cfsBelow normal12th percentile · 44 yr record
Battle Creeknear The Marina at Sheridan Lake0.8 cfs3.32 ft1.4 cfsNormal34th percentile · 65 yr record
Bear Butte Creeknear Spearfish Canyon Adventures0.5 cfs3.58 ft2.4 cfsMuch below normal6th percentile · 38 yr record
Grace Coolidge Creeknear South Dakota Outdoor Shop0.4 cfs6.64 ft1.7 cfsMuch below normal5th percentile · 50 yr record
Skunk Creeknear Sodak Outdoor Kayak Rentals0.2 cfs0.77 ft4.5 cfsMuch below normal6th percentile · 42 yr record
Elk Creeknear Pactola Marina0.0 cfs1.29 ftNot recordedNo historical record
Spring Creeknear My XO Adventures0.0 cfs3.30 ft5.3 cfsMuch below normal5th percentile · 40 yr record

Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a run is safe: check the class, the hazards, and a current local report before you put on.

All state river levels·Browse every mapped South Dakota river

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