Michigan · Honor, MI

Platte River float season

Gauge 04126740 on the Honor to the Lake Michigan mouth at Sleeping Bear Dunes. A short, glass-clear float that ends on a Caribbean-blue beach inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

tubingkayakcanoesup Fullest: Mar–May Leanest: Jul–Sep
Platte River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 10 50 100 150
median flow for the date middle half of years (25th–75th percentile) most years (10th–90th)

Right now at this gauge

loading CFS

Checking the live gauge…

Live reading from the USGS gauge page for Platte River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Honor gauge, the Platte River runs fullest Mar–May and leanest Jul–Sep. The swing is small by river standards — flows hold fairly steady through the seasons, which usually points to springs or dam releases doing the work. Half of all past April days at this gauge ran above 141 CFS; the August median is 116 CFS.

Median of daily flows in each month across this gauge's full record — half of past days ran above these figures, half below.
Month Typical flow (CFS)
January 124
February 124
March 132
April 141
May 131
June 123
July 117
August 116
September 119
October 120
November 123
December 124

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1990 — 36 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 477 CFS, in September 2014. Rivers do that sometimes; it's why the safety panel above isn't decoration.

Planning dates? The trip-window checker shows what flows have historically looked like on any week you pick for this river, or see what a CFS actually looks like.

More Michigan float rivers

Common questions

When is the Platte River usually at its fullest?

At the Honor gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 141 CFS). The leanest months are usually Jul–Sep. This river holds unusually steady across the year, so the swing between those extremes is small.

What is a typical summer flow on the Platte River?

The July median at this gauge is about 117 CFS — half of past Julys ran higher, half lower. Late summer is this river's lean season, so expect readings to drift down as the season goes on.

Is the Platte River safe to float right now?

No flow number can answer that, and this site never labels a river safe. What the data can tell you is how today's reading compares with 36 years of this date's history — well above typical means pushier, colder, faster water. Pair that context with a PFD, a look at the river from the bank, and a call to a local outfitter before you commit.

Which USGS gauge does this page use?

USGS gauge 04126740 (PLATTE RIVER AT HONOR, MI), chosen because it best represents the Honor to the Lake Michigan mouth at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Daily records here reach back to 1990.

Data: USGS gauge 04126740, approved daily records 1990–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.