How long will your river float actually take?

Live USGS flow turned into estimated float times — plus daylight countdowns, water temps, and crowd-sourced hazard reports.

Montana · Idaho · Oregon

–rivers tracked
–float sections
–daylight left today

PLAN YOUR DAY ON THE WATER

Pick your float

Choose a state, a river, and your craft. We pull the latest gauge reading and estimate your time on the water.

Today, in the river’s time zone

Where are you floating?

Choose a state and river to see live flow, weather, and float times.

River reports

Strainers, fences, diversion dams — if you saw it, report it. Help the next boat down.

Latest reports

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Reports retire automatically after 45 days unless someone taps “Still there”. Reports are unverified; cleared votes are advisory and do not remove hazards.

Report a hazard

Report an obstruction

How the math works

1

Live gauge data

Every river here is tied to a USGS streamgage. We pull the instantaneous discharge (cfs) and water temperature, checked every five minutes while the page is active. Estimates require a positive reading from the last two hours.

2

Flow → speed

River speed rises with discharge. We calibrate each river's typical drift speed at a reference flow, then scale it using the hydraulic-geometry relationship v ∝ Q0.34.

3

Your craft matters

A paddled kayak outruns the current; a tube with a cooler lags behind it. We adjust the estimate for what you're actually floating in.

4

Beat the sunset

We compute sunset at the put-in and tell you the latest reasonable launch time, so you're not navigating strainers in the dark.

Find your next river.

Browse the full catalog by state, river, or access point.

Explore rivers by state →

Float-time questions

Short answers to what people ask before they put in.

How long does it take to float a river in Montana, Idaho, or Oregon?

It depends on today's flow, the stretch, and your craft. A 9-mile Class I run might be 2.5 hours in a raft at a healthy cfs and closer to 4 hours on a tube or if you stop to fish. Float ETA converts live USGS discharge into an ETA for each listed stretch.

How does Float ETA calculate float time?

Each river is tied to a USGS streamgage. We take a typical raft drift speed at a reference flow, then scale it with hydraulic geometry (speed rises with discharge to the 0.34 power). Kayaks, tubes, and paddleboards get their own multipliers. Optional fishing adds 25 minutes per mile.

What CFS is good for floating?

There is no single safe flow. The badge compares the gauge with a reference flow; it cannot establish whether a stretch is suitable. Check access, weather, hazards, and local guidance.

How much extra time if I stop to fish?

Turn on Stopping to fish and we add 25 minutes per mile on top of drift time. A 9-mile stretch gains about 3 hours 45 minutes.

Which rivers does Float ETA cover?

Browse the river directory for current coverage and access points. New rivers are added regularly.

Can I still launch if it is getting late?

The calculator uses sunset at the put-in and tells you the latest reasonable launch, or your take-out time if you enter a put-in. Leave a buffer — strainers after dark are a bad plan.