Five USGS river gages showing current river levels in the Buffalo National River. This feature service was created by filtering out these USGS gages from the ESRI Living Atlas Live Stream Gauges - Overview feature layer. Symbology for each USGS gage is color coded to correspond to different floating guidelines. This feature service is used in a public dashboard BUFF_Resource_River_Gages, which is used by park staff and visitors to plan floating trips and overall river use in the park. Additional information is provided below.

Flow/discharge (cfs): Cubic feet per second measurements showing how fast the river is flowing.

Stage (feet): The relative height of the river in feet. Does not correspond exactly to the river bottom.

Very Low (Black): River is dry in places.

Low (Blue): River is low, paddling may be difficult, some areas may require a portage.

Moderate (Green): River flow is adequate for paddling; some exposed obstacles may be present.

High (Orange): River flows swiftly. Compromising situations may occur. Canoeing experience on swift moving rivers is necessary. All canoeists must possess good river-canoeing skills and be familiar with rescue procedures.

Flood (Red): River flows outside its normal banks. Floodwaters move quickly and carry debris. Canoeing conditions are hazardous even for highly skilled canoeists. Concessions cannot put boats on the river in flood conditions.