Paddle or Portage? - River Gauge Data by Text

Free river gauge data by satellite text

For US 🇺🇸 and Canadian 🇨🇦 backcountry packrafters and paddlers

Text your gauge number to

+1 (507) 728-3569

(507) SAT-FLOW

Get an SMS reply with flow data

In Beta

What is Paddle or Portage?

A free service that lets you check river levels by satellite text from the backcountry. No account, app, or internet required. Send a supported river gauge or station number and get current conditions back by SMS at the speed of ... satellite.

Tested to work with satellite-capable iPhones and Garmin inReach. Not yet tested: Zoleo, SPOT, Bivy Stick, Somewear Global Hotspot, and satellite-capable Android phones.

How Does It Work?

🏠 At home

Find your gauge or station number. Paddle or Portage supports USGS site numbers in the United States and Water Survey of Canada station numbers in Canada. Save the ones you need before your trip.

🏕️ In the field

Text your desired gauge number to +1 (507) 728-3569. You can send one or two gauge numbers in a single message, separated by a space or comma.

Receive a single SMS reply with flow, stage/level when available, and the latest reading time in the gauge's local time zone.

Examples

Send a single gauge:

You send

03374100

You receive

03374100 WhiteRiver@Hazleton
340cfs 4.2ft 3/16/26 9:15am CT

Send up to two gauges in one message:

You send

03374100 03339000

You receive

03374100 WhiteRiver@Hazleton
340cfs 4.2ft 3/16/26 9:15am CT

03339000 WabashRiver@Lafayette
9860cfs 5.8ft 3/16/26 10:15am ET

Finding Gauge Numbers

USA: use an 8-digit USGS site number

Go to dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov and search by river name or location.
The 8-digit site number appears in the gauge listing and in the URL when you click a gauge.
All 8 digits are necessary.
Example: 03410210

USGS monitoring location page for South FK Cumberland River showing site number 03410210

Test First

This is a side project I vibe coded and pay for myself. It has not been thoroughly tested across satellite providers, so if you plan to depend on it, test it before you leave cell coverage.

Save the phone number (or just download this vCard) in your contacts as “Paddle or Portage.” Make sure it's accessible from your satellite messaging device.

Save the gauge or station numbers you may need for your trip. Keeping them in the notes section of your Paddle or Portage contact works well.

Check them first from your normal phone so you don’t waste satellite messages.

Send a test message from your satellite messenger; I haven't been able to test all satellite services yet.

Head out and paddle safely!

Useful Information

Data is pulled live when you text - readings are typically 15-60 minutes old depending on the gauge.
If a gauge has old data, the timestamp in the reply will tell you how stale it is.
Not all gauges report both flow and stage/level - you'll receive whichever is available.
A reading of -999999 means the gauge is iced over or malfunctioning.
The bot always replies, either with flow data or a helpful error message. 1 reply per message you send. Over a cell connection, round-trip time is under one second. Satellite messaging will often add delays of several minutes.
Replies are formatted to remain under the 160 character limit of a single SMS message.
By texting this number, you consent only to receive a single SMS reply. No more than that. No marketing messages, no opt-in lists.
Your data will never be shared or used for any other purpose.
Your normal satellite texting charges will apply.

🎒🗺️🤳📡←→🛰️📉🚣‍♂️😎

Feedback Please!

This service is in beta, so I’d appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or suggestions.

Does anything on this page need to be corrected?
If you’ve tested this with a Zoleo, SPOT, Bivy Stick, Somewear Global Hotspot, satellite phone, or another device, please let me know so I can update this page.
Canadians - I can't test from Canada, so let me know how it works for you.

Email James Taylor at jamtastical3@gmail.com.