Grand Lake water level

Name: Grand Lake water level (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)
Creator: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
License: https://www.usbr.gov/main/disclaim.html

Lake, Colorado, United States

Directions

High for mid-October

Surface elevation

8,366.61ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days

Measured Oct 17, 2026 (2 days ago)

Water stored: 816 acre‑ft

History

What this means

Grand Lake is above normal at 8,366.61 ft.

The median for mid-October is 8,366.55 ft, based on 17 years of readings, so the lake level is 0.06 ft above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 8,366.47 ft, a difference of +0.14 ft.

It has dropped 0.04 ft over the past week. In the last month it has stayed between 8,366.54 ft and 8,366.68 ft.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

Compared with 17 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 8,366.55 ft0.06 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 8,366.42 ft – 8,366.66 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (17 years of records)
Same day last year: 8,366.47 ft+0.14 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 8,366.54 ft – 8,366.68 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 8,366.24 ft – 8,366.82 ft

On the water at Grand Lake

With the level a bit above normal, expect a shoreline slightly higher up than usual and the odd floating branch.

Wear a life jacket on the water. Most boating deaths involve people who were not wearing one.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 60° 26° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 57° 38° 0.04 in Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 59° 37° 0.01 in Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 61° 39° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 59° 41° 0.00 in, 53% Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 61° 41° 0.07 in, 51% Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 52° 33° 0.02 in, 40% Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:19 AM Sunset 06:19 PM Daylight 11 hr First quarter 56%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Colorado River below Shadow Mountain ReservoirRiver gauge, Colorado River	35.8 cfs	Normal	±0	3.1 mi
Shadow Mountain LakeLake	8,366.66 ft	Normal		3.2 mi
Lake GranbyLake	8,235.17 ft	Very low		5.5 mi
Colorado River below Baker Gulch near Grand LakeRiver gauge, Colorado River	4.11 ft	Below flood stage	±0	6 mi
Colorado River below Lake GranbyRiver gauge, Colorado River	23.0 cfs	High	±0	8 mi
Andrews Creek-Loch Vale-RmnpRiver gauge	0.8 cfs	Normal	±0	8 mi
The Loch Outlet - Loch ValeRiver gauge	1.8 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	9 mi
Willow Creek ReservoirReservoir	8,116.85 ft	Low		10 mi

Questions and answers

Is Grand Lake higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.14 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 8,366.47 ft.

What is a normal level for Grand Lake in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 8,366.55 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 8,366.42 ft and 8,366.66 ft, based on 17 years of records.

Is Grand Lake really 8,366.61 ft deep?

No. 8,366.61 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Grand Lake today?

On Oct 17, 2026, the surface elevation was 8,366.61 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is Grand Lake rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Grand Lake normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 17 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation publishes a new reading once a day. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Station code: usbr:344 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 40.24170, -105.80220 (WGS84)
Update interval: once a day
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Surface elevation	8,366.61 ft	2026-10-17 06:00	Provisional
Water stored	816 acre‑ft	2026-10-17 06:00	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/19303?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Grand Lake water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Grand Lake (usbr:344). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/grand-lake

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer