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Around Big Sioux River
Public land: USGS PAD-US
About this river
Big Sioux River is a 43.0 mile river near Paddle Boyz Kayak Rental in South Dakota. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Big Sioux River at Akron, IA (site 06485500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1929 to 2026
Big Sioux River typically runs highest in March, at a median 1,490 cfs, and lowest in January, at 150 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 126,000 cfs, in 2024.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 150 | 71 to 450 |
| February | 260 | 84 to 599 |
| March | 1,490 | 522 to 3,460 |
| April | 1,400 | 730 to 4,555 |
| May | 1,300 | 565 to 3,230 |
| June | 1,390 | 568 to 3,375 |
| July | 878 | 321 to 2,140 |
| August | 508 | 207 to 1,110 |
| September | 398 | 170 to 903 |
| October | 312 | 171 to 819 |
| November | 310 | 168 to 818 |
| December | 216 | 109 to 679 |
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 97 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Big Sioux River at Akron, IA (site 06485500). 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 Big Sioux River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Flandreau Public Water AccessPublic
- 9 Mile Public Water AccessPublic
- Lake Alvin Recreation AreaPublic
- Big Sioux Wildlife Area - Highway 18Big Sioux RiverPublic
- McKee Public Water AccessPublic
- Newton Hills State Park - Lake LakotaPublic
- Silver Mapple AccessBig Sioux RiverPublic
- Big Sioux Park AccessBig Sioux RiverPublic
Made to print
Put Big Sioux River on your wall
This river section as an art print, drawn over the real terrain with its miles, plus the trails, roads and peaks around it. Pick the colors and the size, and see the finished print before you buy. From $39, shipping included.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Big Sioux 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.
