Wisconsin · Somerset, WI

Apple River float season

Gauge 05341500 on the Somerset tubing corridor. Somerset's Apple has been the Midwest's signature party-tubing river since the 1940s, floating thousands past campgrounds on a summer Saturday.

tubingkayak Fullest: Apr–Jun Leanest: Dec–Feb
Apple River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 75 300 750 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 Apple River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Somerset gauge, the Apple River runs fullest Apr–Jun and leanest Dec–Feb. 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 475 CFS; the August median is 209 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 216
February 219
March 307
April 475
May 362
June 312
July 247
August 209
September 243
October 248
November 257
December 230

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1914 — 102 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 2,650 CFS, in April 2001. 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 Wisconsin float rivers

Common questions

When is the Apple River usually at its fullest?

At the Somerset gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Apr–Jun, with the single highest monthly median in April (about 475 CFS). The leanest months are usually Dec–Feb.

What is a typical summer flow on the Apple River?

The July median at this gauge is about 247 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 Apple 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 86 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 05341500 (APPLE RIVER NEAR SOMERSET, WI), chosen because it best represents the Somerset tubing corridor. Daily records here reach back to 1914.

Data: USGS gauge 05341500, approved daily records 1914–2016, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.