Flaming Gorge Reservoir Water Level
Flaming Gorge Reservoir is at 6,006.73 ft today (Oct 5), 33.27 ft below its 6,040 ft full pool, down 0.67 ft this week.
Utah & Wyoming · Green River
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Water level history
About Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge Reservoir is a reservoir on the Green River in Utah & Wyoming, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 6040 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) and update daily, typically on a one- to two-week reporting lag.
Understanding Flaming Gorge Reservoir's water level
Flaming Gorge is the upper Green River's piece of the Colorado River Storage Project, which Congress authorized on 11 April 1956. The Bureau of Reclamation began the dam on 18 June 1958, placed the last concrete in November 1962, and Lady Bird Johnson dedicated it on 17 August 1964. The concrete dam stands 502 feet above bedrock. At full pool of 6,040 feet the reservoir holds 3,788,900 acre feet, covers 42,020 acres, runs 91 miles upstream from the Utah dam into Wyoming, and has 375 miles of shoreline. The name comes from John Wesley Powell, whose 1869 river expedition saw the sun lighting the red cliffs so that the gorge looked as if it were on fire.
For most of its life the lake moved in a narrow band, and locals think of 6,030 to 6,040 feet as normal. That changed when Lake Powell fell toward the level where Glen Canyon Dam can no longer make power. Under drought response operations, Reclamation sent an extra 125,000 acre feet downstream in summer 2021 and 500,000 acre feet in the 12 months starting in spring 2022, a release expected to cost Flaming Gorge about 15 feet. Reclamation's daily record shows the lake at 6,018.83 feet on 1 May 2022 and at 6,005.71 feet on 14 March 2023, its lowest point since May 1980. The big 2023 runoff refilled it to 6,031.57 feet by 27 July. The recovery was partial. The lake started spring 2026 near 6,023 feet, and in April Reclamation began delivering between 660,000 and one million acre feet more to Powell through April 2027. By 25 September 2026 the gauge read 6,007.64 feet.
Low water at Flaming Gorge is a ramp problem first. The Forest Service publishes the elevation at which each launch stops working: Anvil Draw below 6,016 feet, Firehole below 6,004, Brinegars Crossing below 5,997, Sheep Creek Bay below 5,987, Buckboard below 5,979, Lucerne Valley below 5,972, and Antelope Flats below 5,966. Cedar Springs is the deepest at 5,862. In August 2026 Anvil Draw was closed and the Cut Through was passable only by kayak, sending boaters around through Horseshoe Canyon. Falling water also uncovers rocks, logs and debris that are normally deep enough to ignore. Below the dam, cold releases from the dam keep the Green River between about 40 and 60 degrees all year, which is why the tailwater from the dam to Little Hole, 7.2 miles downstream, and on through Browns Park, is one of the best known trout rivers in the West. Reclamation added a selective withdrawal structure in 1977 and 1978 to warm those releases for the trout.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Flaming Gorge Reservoir's full pool elevation?
Full pool is 6,040 feet above sea level, where the reservoir holds 3,788,900 acre feet and covers 42,020 acres. The dam crest sits at about 6,047 feet. Water has not stood at or above 6,040 feet since August 1983, and in most recent years the summer peak has landed somewhere between about 6,025 and 6,035 feet.
Why is Flaming Gorge so low?
It is being drained on purpose to hold up Lake Powell. After a very poor 2026 snowpack, Reclamation announced in April 2026 that it would send between 660,000 and one million acre feet of extra water from Flaming Gorge to Powell through April 2027, alongside cutting Glen Canyon Dam releases, to keep Powell near 3,500 feet and above the 3,490 foot minimum power pool. Inflows to Flaming Gorge were also running well below average all summer.
What is the record high level at Flaming Gorge?
Reclamation's daily record, which begins in December 1968, peaks at 6,043.80 feet on 13 July 1983, nearly four feet above full pool. The lake first reached 6,040 feet in August 1974, and it has not been back to full pool since the summer of 1983. The recent high and low on this page's gauge come from readings since 2023 only.
What is the record low level at Flaming Gorge?
Since the reservoir first filled in 1974, the lowest reading in Reclamation's daily record is 5,987.64 feet on 4 March 1978. Lower numbers exist from 1969 and 1970, such as 5,966.89 feet in March 1970, but the lake was still filling then. In the drought era, the low mark is 6,005.71 feet on 14 March 2023, the lowest point since May 1980.
Which Flaming Gorge boat ramps close at low water?
The Forest Service lists a usable limit for each ramp. Anvil Draw goes first at 6,016 feet, followed by Firehole at 6,004 and Brinegars Crossing at 5,997. Sheep Creek Bay works to 5,987, Buckboard to 5,979, Lucerne Valley to 5,972, Upper Marsh Creek to 5,971 and Antelope Flats to 5,966. Mustang Ridge (5,939) and Cedar Springs (5,862) are the deep water ramps.
How big do lake trout get at Flaming Gorge?
Flaming Gorge holds Utah's lake trout record. Chance Scott kept a fish of 53 pounds 15 ounces in summer 2020, breaking the 51 pound 8 ounce mark Curt Bilbey set in June 1988 trolling near Antelope Flats. Utah's catch and release record for the species also came from the Gorge, a 48 inch fish released by Matt Smiley in May 2019.
Does the lake level affect the Green River below the dam?
Yes, because every extra acre foot sent to Lake Powell passes through the Green below the dam. During drought releases Reclamation warns that the river runs higher, swifter and colder than usual. The dam's minimum release is 800 cubic feet per second under normal conditions, set to support the trout fishery that begins right at the foot of the dam.
Flow released below Flaming Gorge Reservoir
This gauge reads the water leaving the dam, which is the number to check for fishing, paddling and downstream conditions. Live flow is tracked on riverlvl.com.
Other lakes near Flaming Gorge Reservoir
- Jordanelle ReservoirUT
- Echo ReservoirUT
- Lost Creek ReservoirUT
- East Canyon ReservoirUT
- Pineview ReservoirUT
- Starvation ReservoirUT
See current levels for all 10 Utah lakes and reservoirs →
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