Colorado River level at Lees Ferry
Arizona · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 09380000 — COLORADO RIVER AT LEES FERRY, AZ · NWS forecast point CLFA3
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 7,970 CFS, this gauge is running 78% of normal for mid-September — below the 10,200 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 104 years of record (1922–2026).
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Flow history at Lees Ferry
Daily values from USGS 09380000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for CLFA3 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Lees Ferry
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 31.50 ft | 300,000 CFS | Jul 7, 1884 |
| 26.50 ft | 220,000 CFS | Jun 18, 1921 |
| 21.15 ft | 123,000 CFS | Jun 12, 1952 |
| 21.14 ft | 126,000 CFS | Jun 12, 1957 |
| 20.51 ft | 120,000 CFS | May 17, 1941 |
| 20.35 ft | 127,000 CFS | Jul 1, 1927 |
| 13.84 ft | 44,800 CFS | Nov 20, 2012 |
| 13.59 ft | 42,800 CFS | Mar 6, 2008 |
| 13.55 ft | 42,500 CFS | Nov 22, 2004 |
| 11.57 ft | 26,200 CFS | Jul 7, 2011 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Colorado River at Lees Ferry
In Arizona, below Lake Powell. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before. Below Glen Canyon Dam; midday drops strand boats.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Powell. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Colorado River at Lees Ferry — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake Powell affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Colorado River at Lees Ferry high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 10,200 CFS, from 104 years of record (1922–2026). Today is 78% 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 09380000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for CLFA3 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.