Field-based real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS surveys of water surface elevation and channel bed topography were collected along the Colorado River, focusing on two cross-sections from which remotely sensed data were obtained. These data were used to assess the accuracy of river bed elevations inferred from the ASTRALiTe bathymetric lidar, acquired from an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). These data sets were collected to support research focused on developing innovative methods for non-contact measurement of river discharge based on various forms of remotely sensed data. The RTK GNSS surveys were performed using a local base station and Trimble R8 and R10 receivers while wading the channel at each cross-section. The survey data were post-processed by performing an OPUS correction of the static observations collected by the base and adjusting all of the survey points accordingly. The survey data were exported to a comma-separated text file and the resulting *.csv file contain for each point number a point ID, spatial coordinates, elevations, and a depth.