Skip to content

Chicago River Canoe & Kayak at Tampier Lake

Plum Creek near Chicago River Canoe & Kayak at Tampier Lake

River2.4 mi
Loading map…

About this river

Plum Creek is a 2.4 mile river near Chicago River Canoe & Kayak at Tampier Lake in Illinois. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Plum Creek near Crete, IL (site 05536162). The mapped line runs from 41.4702, -87.5326 to 41.4869, -87.5262. The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 5. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.

Typical flow by month

2009 to 2026

Plum Creek typically runs highest in March, at a median 15 cfs, and lowest in August, at 1.8 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 1,310 cfs, in 2018.

Typical flow by month at Plum Creek near Crete, IL, in cfs
MonthTypical (cfs)Usual range (cfs)Relative level
January6.34.1 to 17
February6.03.3 to 15
March158.2 to 41
April9.35.8 to 23
May9.43.9 to 20
June4.92.5 to 22
July3.01.4 to 7.2
August1.81.0 to 4.3
September2.00.9 to 4.2
October3.41.1 to 7.7
November4.81.8 to 10
December6.72.3 to 14

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 17 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Plum Creek near Crete, IL (site 05536162). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.

Free widget

Embed this gauge on your site

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

Embed code

See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.

In your pocket

Take every launch with you.

Free, no account needed. Put-in maps, named river reaches, and your trip log in your pocket.

  • Every launch in your pocket

  • Named reaches with class ratings on the map

  • Log your paddles in one timeline

  • Find the next put-in wherever you roam

A river reach selected out of the mapped river network in the Paddling Hubs app

For operators

Run your paddling business?
Launch your branded surface.

Get your own branded surface in the Paddling Hubs app and a directory listing in minutes. Bookings, digital waivers, and your whole operation live in one cockpit.