Around here
Around Big Bureau Creek
Camping4
Public land: USGS PAD-US
About this river
Big Bureau Creek is a 43.2 mile river near Kayak Starved Rock in Illinois. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Big Bureau Creek at Princeton, IL (site 05556500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 6. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1936 to 2026
Big Bureau Creek typically runs highest in April, at a median 157 cfs, and lowest in September, at 7.5 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 11,500 cfs, in 2008.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 53 | 12 to 120 |
| February | 81 | 25 to 160 |
| March | 145 | 86 to 286 |
| April | 157 | 89 to 293 |
| May | 144 | 82 to 272 |
| June | 112 | 50 to 246 |
| July | 49 | 20 to 110 |
| August | 16 | 5.8 to 42 |
| September | 7.5 | 3.1 to 30 |
| October | 11 | 4.1 to 68 |
| November | 28 | 5.8 to 99 |
| December | 42 | 7.8 to 127 |
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 91 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Big Bureau Creek at Princeton, IL (site 05556500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
One mapped launch sits in the mapped area of Big Bureau Creek. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
Made to print
Put Big Bureau Creek 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 Bureau Creek'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.
