Clear Creek level at Golden
Colorado · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 06719505 — CLEAR CREEK AT GOLDEN, CO · NWS forecast point GLDC2
Reading taken · as of 18 min ago
Too low for most boats — rocky and technical
At 47 CFS, this gauge is running 42% of normal for mid-September — below the 111 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 51 years of record (1975–2026).
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Flood stages at Golden
National Weather Service categories for gauge GLDC2, WFO BOU. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 10.5 ft
- 11.5 ft Most streets crossing Clear Creek are impassable.
- 12.3 ft This is a life threatening flood with numerous streets, homes and businesses inundated. This level represents a flood that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. For more information click <a href="inundation/faq_google.php">here</a>.
- 18.5 ft This level represents a flood that has a 0.2-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. For more information click <a href="inundation/faq_google.php">here</a>.
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Moderate flood 9.5 ft
- 9.5 ft Moderate flooding is expected along Clear Creek in Golden.
- 10.4 ft Extensive flooding impacts streets, bridges and buildings near the river. This level represents a flood that has a 2-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. For more information click <a href="inundation/faq_google.php">here</a>.
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Minor flood 8.5 ft
- 8.5 ft Park areas and bike paths along the creek flood. Minor flooding of yards and other properties is expected to begin.
- 9.0 ft Water is at the base of the bridge at Kipling and 44th Avenue with flooding of homes and structures along the creek.
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Action 8.0 ft
- 8.0 ft Water is over the bike path between Kipling and Garrison Streets and into low lying areas in Golden. This level represents a flood that has a 10-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. For more information click <a href="inundation/faq_google.php">here</a>.
- Right now 3.59 ft
Flow history at Golden
Daily values from USGS 06719505, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for GLDC2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Golden
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 7.60 ft | 2,540 CFS | Jun 12, 2015 |
| 7.25 ft | 2,030 CFS | Jun 4, 2014 |
| 7.15 ft | 1,890 CFS | Jun 12, 2016 |
| 7.08 ft | 1,510 CFS | Jun 12, 2010 |
| 6.95 ft | 1,710 CFS | Jul 8, 2011 |
| 6.92 ft | 1,390 CFS | Jul 2, 2019 |
| 6.83 ft | 1,530 CFS | Sep 13, 2013 |
| 6.75 ft | 1,420 CFS | Jun 13, 2017 |
| 6.67 ft | 1,130 CFS | Jun 1, 2009 |
| 6.66 ft | 961 CFS | Jun 4, 2008 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Clear Creek at Golden
Clear Creek through Golden is a snowmelt creek with a whitewater park in the middle of a town, which is an unusual combination and the reason this gauge gets checked so hard in June. The city runs a green, yellow and red flag system on the creek through Golden, and the flags are driven by the flow this station measures.
The seasonal shape is steep. Runoff from the Front Range peaks hard and briefly in late spring, when the creek turns into serious, cold, pushy water running through a park full of people, and then falls away through the summer into something small enough to walk across. The percent-of-normal figure above is the fastest way to tell which of those two creeks today is.
Clear Creek at Golden — common questions
5 questions
What do Golden's flag colours mean on Clear Creek?
The city sets green, yellow or red for the creek through town based on flow, escalating from normal conditions through caution to closure as the water rises. The thresholds and the current flag are the city's call, not this site's — check the City of Golden before getting in. This page tells you what the creek is doing, which is what the flag is based on.
When is Clear Creek at its highest?
Late spring, with Front Range snowmelt, and it is a sharp peak rather than a long season. Runoff typically dominates from May into June, then the creek drops steadily through summer. A warm spell during runoff can push it up within a day, because melt rate rather than rainfall is what is driving it.
How fast can Clear Creek at Golden come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Clear Creek at Golden high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 111 CFS, from 51 years of record (1975–2026). Today is 42% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 06719505 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for GLDC2 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.