North Carolina · Jefferson, NC

New River (South Fork, NC) float season

Gauge 03161000 on the Todd to Jefferson canoe-camping reach. Slow oxbows past Christmas-tree farms make the South Fork New a beloved canoe-camping and tubing river billed as one of the continent's oldest.

canoetubingkayak Fullest: Feb–Apr Leanest: Aug–Oct
New River (South Fork, NC) — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 60 250 600 1k
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 New River (South Fork, NC). Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Jefferson gauge, the New River (South Fork, NC) runs fullest Feb–Apr 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 March days at this gauge ran above 479 CFS; the September median is 224 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 405
February 442
March 479
April 468
May 399
June 334
July 282
August 258
September 224
October 254
November 294
December 352

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1925 — 101 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 27,700 CFS, in August 1940. 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 North Carolina float rivers

Common questions

When is the New River (South Fork, NC) usually at its fullest?

At the Jefferson gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Feb–Apr, with the single highest monthly median in March (about 479 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the New River (South Fork, NC)?

The July median at this gauge is about 282 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 New River (South Fork, NC) 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 100 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 03161000 (SOUTH FORK NEW RIVER NEAR JEFFERSON, NC), chosen because it best represents the Todd to Jefferson canoe-camping reach. Daily records here reach back to 1925.

Data: USGS gauge 03161000, approved daily records 1925–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.