New Jersey · Chatsworth, NJ

Wading River float season

Gauge 01409810 on the Pine Barrens — Speedwell to Evans Bridge and Bodine Field. Cedar-stained water winds through the Pine Barrens wilderness on the state's signature canoe-camping river, where the only traffic is other paddlers at the sandy launches.

canoekayaktubing Fullest: Feb–Apr Leanest: Jul–Sep
Wading River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 40 150 300 500
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 Wading River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Chatsworth gauge, the Wading River runs fullest Feb–Apr 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 170 CFS; the September median is 56 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 146
February 151
March 154
April 170
May 123
June 77
July 62
August 66
September 56
October 77
November 90
December 99

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1975 — 50 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 2,500 CFS, in September 2012. 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 New Jersey float rivers

Common questions

When is the Wading River usually at its fullest?

At the Chatsworth gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Feb–Apr, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 170 CFS). The leanest months are usually Jul–Sep.

What is a typical summer flow on the Wading River?

The July median at this gauge is about 62 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 Wading 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 41 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 01409810 (West Branch Wading River near Jenkins NJ), chosen because it best represents the Pine Barrens — Speedwell to Evans Bridge and Bodine Field. Daily records here reach back to 1975.

Data: USGS gauge 01409810, approved daily records 1975–2025, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.