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Suggested River Levels for Paddling
(See Important Note Below)
| Mississippi Streams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Low (Ft) | Good (Ft) | High (Ft) | Comments |
| Bayou Pierre | below 3.25 | 3.65 to 5.0 | over 7.0 | none |
| Bear Creek | ? | ? | ? | need Data |
| Biloxi River | below 1.25 | 1.5 to 3.0 | over 3.50 | none |
| Black Creek | below 4.0 | 4.5 to 6.5 | over 7.5 | none |
| Bogue Chitto River | below 5.8 | 6.00 to 7.0 | over 8.0 | none |
| Bouie Creek/River | below 2.6 | 2.9 to 3.25 | over 3.5 | none |
| Buttahatchee River | below 6.1 | 6.5 to 8.50 | over 9.0 | none |
| Chickasawhay River | below 4.5 | 4.5 to 6.0 | over 6.5 | Based on gauge at Enterprise |
| Chunky River | below 2.75 | 3.25 to 4.5 | over 5.0 | none |
| Escatawpa River | below 3.0 | 3.5 to 5.5 | over 6.5 | none |
| Leaf River - Hwy. 18 to Hwy. 28 | below 4.5 | 5.0 to 6.5 | over 7.5 | Gauge reading at Collins |
| Leaf River - Above Hattiesburg | below 1.0 | 1.25 to 3.0 | over 3.25 | Gauge reading at Hattiesburg |
| Magee's Creek | below 5.5 | 5.8 to 6.25 | over 6.5 | Gauge reading at Tylertown on Bogue Chitto |
| Okatoma Creek | below 7.8 | 8.2 to 9.0 | over 10.0 | 0.8, 1.2, 2.0, 2.4, and 4.0 ft at the Seminary Bridge is 8.2, 8.35, 8.7, 9.3, and 10.2 ft, respectively, at the USGS Sanford Bridge gage. NOTE: At 8.8 feet on the USGS gage, paddlers need some river paddling skills or expect to have several spills along the way between Seminary and Hwy. 598 bridge. Okatoma Creek will challenge the beginner/inexperienced paddler at nearly all river levels. Advice: Get some canoe instruction and begin to enjoy this river. |
| Pearl River - Upper | Below 4.0 | 4.0 to 5.25 | Over 5.50 | need data |
| Pearl River - Lower | ? | ? | ? | need data |
| Red Creek | below 5.5 | 6.0 to 7.5 | over 8.0 | none |
| Strong River | below 3.5 | 4.0 to 7.5 | over 8.0 | none |
| Wolf River | below 5.25 | 5.5 to 7.0 | over 8.0 | none |
| Alabama Streams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Low (Ft) | Good (Ft) | High (Ft) | Comments |
| Little River - Suicide Section | below 600 cfs | 1,000 to 2,500cfs | over 3,500 cfs | 3.08 miles @ 120 fpm, Class II-IV |
| Little River - Section 2 | below 1,000 cfs | 1,200 to 2,500 cfs | over 3,500 cfs | 2.54 miles @ 76 fpm, Class III-IV |
| Little River - Chairlift Section | below 1,000 cfs | 1,200 to 3,500 cfs | over 4,500 cfs | 6.0 miles, Class III-IV |
| Locust Fork | below 2.2' or 295 cfs | 2.5' to 4.5' or 405 to 1,850 cfs | over 6.5' | 800/525-3711, then 6, then 3, then 2 |
| Mulberry Fork | ? | ? | ? | 800/525-3711, then 6, then 3, then 1 |
| Arkansas Streams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Low (Ft) | Good (Ft) | High (Ft) | Comments |
| Arkansas Canoe Club's Table of Suggested River Levels | ||||
| Buffalo River @ Boxley/Ponca/Steel Creek | below 2.4 | 2.5 to 4.9 | over 6.0 | Experienced paddlers only @ 5.0 to 5.9 |
| Buffalo River @ Hwy. 7/Pruitt | below 1.5 | 1.6 to 3.5 | over 4.6 | Experienced paddlers only @ 3.6 to 4.5 |
| Buffalo River @ St. Joe | below 4.4 | 4.6 to 8.5 | over 12.5 | Experienced paddlers only @ 8.6 to 12.4 |
| Buffalo River @ Hwy. 14/Buffalo Point | below 3.4 | 3.5 to 5.9 | over 10.0 | Experienced paddlers only @ 6.0 to 9.9 |
| Georgia Streams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Low (Ft) | Good (Ft) | High (Ft) | Comments |
| Chattooga River | below 1.2 | 1.4 to 2.0 | over 2.2 | Above 2.0 Five Falls bumps up to Class V. Over 2.2' only experienced Section IV paddlers |
| Tennessee Streams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Low (Ft) | Good (Ft) | High (Ft) | Comments |
| Nolichucky River @ Embreeville | below 550 cfs | 1,500 to 2,000 cfs | over 2,500 cfs | none |
The water levels indicated in the tables above are based on the gauge readings on the USGS website.
Important Note: These are only suggestions based on past history and comments from canoe and kayak paddlers and/or Outfitters on these rivers. Your paddling skills, the river level and age of participants will be a major indicator of the ease or difficulty you will face on most streams in the state. A river flowing at low water level requires skills to avoid exposed obstructions that may normally not be a problem at other water levels. A river flowing at high water levels may be out of the river bank and/or moving very swiftly which can be dangerous to any paddler. A river running at a good water level can still be difficult if the paddler is not well outfitted, has limited or no paddling skills, or has occupants in the boat that are young, or not skilled at paddling.
Update Information: We need to complete some of the blanks in the rivers shown above and provide additional comments/suggestions on water levels presently indicated on the other rivers. If you paddle a particular stream, please note the river section, date you paddled it, note what the level was on the USGS website for that day, and send us an e-mail about the quality (low, good, high) of the trip. Thanks!
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