About this river
Illinois River is a 37.6 mile river near Riverbend Floats in Oklahoma. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Illinois River near Tahlequah, OK (site 07196500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1936 to 2026
Illinois River typically runs highest in May, at a median 961 cfs, and lowest in September, at 227 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 107,000 cfs, in 2016.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 487 | 258 to 1,010 | |
| February | 652 | 346 to 1,090 | |
| March | 825 | 477 to 1,660 | |
| April | 951 | 534 to 1,720 | |
| May | 961 | 526 to 1,790 | |
| June | 669 | 356 to 1,220 | |
| July | 316 | 198 to 536 | |
| August | 248 | 144 to 415 | |
| September | 227 | 138 to 379 | |
| October | 242 | 159 to 468 | |
| November | 347 | 194 to 833 | |
| December | 436 | 223 to 900 |
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 Illinois River near Tahlequah, OK (site 07196500). 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 Illinois River. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Fishermans PointIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Hickory Flats at Tenkiller State ParkIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Strayhorn LandingIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Cato Creek LandingIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Snake Creek MarinaIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakeRestricted
- Blackgum LandingIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Snake Creek CoveIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
- Snake Creek CoveIllinois River - Tenkiller Ferry LakePublic
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Illinois 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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