Around here
Around Prairie Creek
Before you go
- PermitRedwood National Park Backcountry Permits
Data Source: Recreation.gov · Source: USGS GNIS · Source: National Park Service. No claim to original U.S. Government works. · Public land: USGS PAD-US · Forest roads: USDA Forest Service MVUM · BLM routes and areas: Bureau of Land Management (simplified for web display)
About this river
Prairie Creek is a 4.3 mile river. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Redwood C at Orick CA (site 11482500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 5. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1911 to 2026
Prairie Creek typically runs highest in January, at a median 1,540 cfs, and lowest in September, at 21 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 43,200 cfs, in 1965.
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,540 | 718 to 3,140 |
| February | 1,430 | 745 to 2,830 |
| March | 1,410 | 837 to 2,540 |
| April | 910 | 533 to 1,555 |
| May | 428 | 277 to 701 |
| June | 176 | 130 to 241 |
| July | 71 | 52 to 102 |
| August | 30 | 20 to 45 |
| September | 21 | 13 to 31 |
| October | 33 | 16 to 60 |
| November | 262 | 73 to 715 |
| December | 1,060 | 409 to 2,540 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 74 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Redwood C at Orick CA (site 11482500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Made to print
Put Prairie Creek on your wall
This river section as an art print, drawn over the real terrain with its miles, plus the trails, roads and peaks around it. Pick the colors and the size, and see the finished print before you buy. From $39, shipping included.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Prairie Creek's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.
