Around here
Around Big Thompson River
Before you go
Data Source: Recreation.gov · Public land: USGS PAD-US
About this river
Big Thompson River is a 62.1 mile river near The River's Path Canoeing in Colorado. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Big Thompson below Moraine Park near Estes Park, CO (site 402114105350101). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1996 to 2026
Big Thompson River typically runs highest in June, at a median 255 cfs, and lowest in February, at 3.6 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 761 cfs, in 2013.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 4.1 | 3.1 to 5.6 |
| February | 3.6 | 2.8 to 4.6 |
| March | 5.5 | 3.6 to 7.6 |
| April | 17 | 11 to 28 |
| May | 116 | 75 to 179 |
| June | 255 | 165 to 328 |
| July | 101 | 66 to 135 |
| August | 40 | 27 to 55 |
| September | 19 | 14 to 27 |
| October | 12 | 10 to 19 |
| November | 8.8 | 7.0 to 11 |
| December | 5.8 | 5.0 to 6.6 |
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 27 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Big Thompson below Moraine Park near Estes Park, CO (site 402114105350101). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
4 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Big Thompson River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Lonetree Reservoir State Wildlife AreaLonetree ReservoirPublic
- Lon Hagler State Wildlife AreaLon Hagler ReservoirPublic
- Lon Hagler State Wildlife AreaLon Hagler ReservoirPublic
- Boedecker Reservoir State Wildlife AreaBoedecker ReservoirPublic
Made to print
Put Big Thompson 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 Thompson 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.
