New Mexico · Pilar, NM

Rio Grande float season

Gauge 08279500 on the The Racecourse, Quartzite to County Line through Pilar. The Racecourse is New Mexico's whitewater main street, a rock-garden sprint rafted daily out of Taos and Santa Fe.

raftkayak Fullest: Apr–Jun Leanest: Aug–Oct
Rio Grande — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 400 1.5k 3k 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 Rio Grande. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Pilar gauge, the Rio Grande runs fullest Apr–Jun and leanest Aug–Oct. 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 May days at this gauge ran above 1,310 CFS; the September median is 294 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 492
February 559
March 662
April 689
May 1,310
June 1,002
July 406
August 334
September 294
October 335
November 514
December 509

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1931 — 95 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 11,700 CFS, in May 1941. 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 Mexico float rivers

Common questions

When is the Rio Grande usually at its fullest?

At the Pilar gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Apr–Jun, with the single highest monthly median in May (about 1,310 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Rio Grande?

The July median at this gauge is about 406 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 Rio Grande 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 96 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 08279500 (RIO GRANDE AT EMBUDO, NM), chosen because it best represents the The Racecourse, Quartzite to County Line through Pilar. Daily records here reach back to 1931.

Data: USGS gauge 08279500, approved daily records 1931–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.