Michigan · Sterling, MI

Rifle River float season

Gauge 04142000 on the Sterling to Omer. The Lower Peninsula's rowdiest summer flotilla scene, with campground liveries launching wave after wave of tubes and canoes all weekend long.

tubingcanoekayak Fullest: Mar–May Leanest: Jul–Sep
Rifle River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 100 400 1k 1.5k
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 Rifle River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Sterling gauge, the Rifle River runs fullest Mar–May and leanest Jul–Sep. Where today's reading falls inside that rhythm matters more than the raw number — the same flow that feels thin in spring can be the summer norm. Half of all past April days at this gauge ran above 491 CFS; the August median is 165 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 230
February 230
March 400
April 491
May 319
June 226
July 174
August 165
September 166
October 200
November 243
December 240

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1937 — 89 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 7,020 CFS, in May 2020. 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 Rifle River usually at its fullest?

At the Sterling gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Mar–May, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 491 CFS). The leanest months are usually Jul–Sep.

What is a typical summer flow on the Rifle River?

The July median at this gauge is about 174 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 Rifle 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 89 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 04142000 (RIFLE RIVER NEAR STERLING, MI), chosen because it best represents the Sterling to Omer. Daily records here reach back to 1937.

Data: USGS gauge 04142000, approved daily records 1937–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.