About this river
French Broad River is a 50.9 mile river near Big Bear Whitewater Rafting in Tennessee. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge French Broad River at Hot Springs, NC (site 03454500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1934 to 2026
French Broad River typically runs highest in February, at a median 3,190 cfs, and lowest in October, at 1,300 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 87,100 cfs, in 2024.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2,770 | 1,790 to 4,390 | |
| February | 3,190 | 2,070 to 4,560 | |
| March | 3,000 | 2,340 to 4,180 | |
| April | 3,130 | 2,305 to 4,060 | |
| May | 2,400 | 1,810 to 3,400 | |
| June | 1,905 | 1,530 to 2,495 | |
| July | 1,680 | 1,320 to 2,460 | |
| August | 1,720 | 1,260 to 2,630 | |
| September | 1,340 | 979 to 1,985 | |
| October | 1,300 | 890 to 2,110 | |
| November | 1,515 | 1,140 to 2,290 | |
| December | 1,830 | 1,300 to 3,150 |
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 30 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for French Broad River at Hot Springs, NC (site 03454500). 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 French Broad River. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Wolf CreekFrench Broad RiverPublic
- Gator Point MarinaFrench Broad River - Douglas LakeRestricted
- Mountain Cove MarinaFrench Broad River - Douglas LakeRestricted
- Moon Hill BridgeFrench Broad River - Douglas LakePublic
- Douglas Dam CampgroundFrench Broad River - Douglas ReervoirPublic
- Inspiration Point, Inc.French Broad River - Douglas LakeRestricted
- Douglas Tailwater AccessFrench Broad RiverPublic
- Anchor Down RV ResortFrench Broad River - Douglas LakeRestricted
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Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show French Broad 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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