Colorado River near Grand Canyon water level

Name: Colorado River near Grand Canyon water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Colorado River, Arizona, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

15.00ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 10:15 AM MST (16 min ago)

Flow: 6,930 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 15.00 ft, the Colorado River near Grand Canyon is below normal for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 13.96 ft and 15.47 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 37.50 ftJune 19, 1921

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	37.50 ft	June 19, 1921
2	29.25 ft	July 2, 1927
3	29.10 ft	June 13, 1957
4	29.05 ft	June 12, 1952
5	28.86 ft	May 17, 1941
6	18.68 ft	November 20, 2012
7	18.42 ft	March 7, 2008
8	18.22 ft	November 23, 2004
9	13.78 ft	July 9, 2011
10	12.19 ft	July 15, 2004

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 84° 59° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 79° 67° 0.57 in, 93% Wind 20 mph

22 Thu 81° 61° 0.30 in, 84% Wind 19 mph

23 Fri 70° 58° 0.05 in, 22% Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 71° 58° 0.06 in Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 70° 56° – Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 74° 59° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 06:40 AM Sunset 05:47 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Colorado River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Colorado River at Lees FerryRiver gauge, Colorado River	5,640 cfs	Low	−30.0 cfs	60 mi
Colorado River below Hoover DamRiver gauge, Colorado River	39.98 ft	No reference yet	−0.48 ft	148 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bright Angel Creek near Grand CanyonRiver gauge, Bright Angel Creek	18.0 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	0.4 mi
Pump House Wash Spring near Grand CanyonRiver gauge, Pump House Wash Spring	0.30 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	2.7 mi
Phantom Creek below Haunted Canyon in GcnpRiver gauge, Phantom Creek	10.36 ft	No reference yet	±0	3.4 mi
Bright Angel Creek below Ribbon Falls in GcnpRiver gauge, Bright Angel Creek	14.99 ft	No reference yet	±0	3.9 mi
Bright Angel Creek below Cottonwood Campgd in GcnpRiver gauge, Bright Angel Creek	11.53 ft	No reference yet	−0.69 ft	5.1 mi
Little Colorado River above Mouth near Desert ViewRiver gauge, Little Colorado River	628 cfs	High	−208.0 cfs	18 mi
Cataract Creek below Heather Wash near SupaiRiver gauge, Cataract Creek	4.74 ft	Below flood stage	±0	26 mi
Little Colorado River near CameronRiver gauge, Little Colorado River	151 cfs	Normal	−94.0 cfs	31 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Colorado River near Grand Canyon today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 10:15 AM MST, the water level was 15.00 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Colorado River near Grand Canyon rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Colorado River near Grand Canyon normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Colorado River near Grand Canyon?

The highest level on record is 37.50 ft on June 19, 1921.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09402500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.10137, -112.08628 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	15.00 ft	2026-10-20 17:15	Provisional
Flow	6,930 cfs	2026-10-20 17:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Colorado River near Grand Canyon (usgs:09402500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arizona/colorado-river-near-grand-canyon

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