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Texas | Central Texas
Brazos River
Brazos River Milam County Area 1 to Area 2
Check current paddling conditions for this Brazos River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Brazos River Milam County Area 1 and take out at Area 2 for TPWD's 5-mile leased-access Brazos float downstream of FM 979. Use the Highbank gauge with BRA's conservative Brazos flow chart, then confirm access, weather, site mud, and private-bank limits before leaving a shuttle.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Brazos River Milam County Area 1TPWD publishes Area 1 and Area 2 coordinates as leased-access anchors. Final water entry and exit should follow current signs, BRMC instructions, and safe bank conditions rather than projected mid-channel points.
Take-out
Brazos River Milam County Area 2Area 1 is the TPWD-named put-in at 10794 FM 979 near Cameron; Area 2 is the TPWD-named take-out at 5988 County Road 259 near Cameron.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- TPWD publishes Area 1 and Area 2 coordinates as leased-access anchors. Final water entry and exit should follow current signs, BRMC instructions, and safe bank conditions rather than projected mid-channel points.
- Area 1 is the TPWD-named put-in at 10794 FM 979 near Cameron; Area 2 is the TPWD-named take-out at 5988 County Road 259 near Cameron.
- TPWD requires prearrival contact for gate codes and site conditions. The access areas can temporarily close when wet or muddy from rain or flooding.
- Area 2's river access is about one mile from the parking area through bottomland forest. Prearrange any shuttle support and inspect the route out before paddling.
- USGS 08098290 was below BRA's 200 cfs paddling floor during implementation. At similar levels, expect shallow bars, more paddling, dragging, and a no-go rating until flows recover.
Watch for
- Flows at or below about 200 cfs on USGS 08098290, when BRA says the Brazos is below the minimum needed for paddling.
- Flows above about 1,200 cfs, rising water, upstream reservoir releases, or fresh basin rainfall, when BRA's chart moves into hazardous or worse categories.
- Muddy leased-access roads or bottomland paths, temporary site closures, a long carry or shuttle transfer at Area 2, and any changed gate-code or landowner instructions.
- Private banks, fences, ranch roads, livestock areas, sand or gravel bars, driftwood, strainers, and wood moved by recent flow changes.
- Heat, sun exposure, wind on open bends, rural cell-service gaps, and the temptation to improvise a private landing if Area 2 is unavailable.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Brazos Rv nr Highbank, TX |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 501 cfs to 1,200 cfs |
| Low threshold | 200 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Brazos River Authority paddling-flow chart |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route shapeBRMC1 to BRMC2, 5 mi
TPWD says Brazos River Milam County Area 1 serves as a put-in for a 5-mile paddle to Area 2, and Area 2 serves as the take-out for that 5-mile paddle.
- Public endpoint coordinates30.977162, -96.761887 to 30.919294, -96.746588
TPWD publishes latitude and longitude for Area 1 and Area 2. The coordinates are recorded as leased-access anchors, with final water entry and exit following current site instructions and safe bank conditions.
- Live gaugeUSGS 08098290 at 95.5 cfs / 1.44 ft
USGS Water Services returned current Brazos River near Highbank discharge and gage height at 2026-08-10 21:00 CDT during this implementation run; PaddleToday uses it as the conservative upstream middle-Brazos flow check.
- Downstream gauge contextUSGS 08108700 at 582 cfs / 7.89 ft
USGS Water Services also returned current values for the downstream Brazos River at SH 21 near Bryan at 2026-08-10 21:15 CDT; it is recorded as context, not the primary scoring gauge.
- Brazos flow guidance200 cfs below minimum; 501-1,200 cfs ideal; 5,001+ cfs flood
BRA's public river-recreation chart lists 200 cfs or less as below the minimum needed for paddling, 501-1,200 cfs as ideal conditions, 1,200-3,000 cfs as hazardous, 3,001-5,000 cfs as experts-only, and 5,001+ cfs as flood conditions.
- Access and campingDaylight leased access only; no route camping selected
TPWD requires prearrival contact for gate codes and site conditions, says Area 2 access is about one mile from parking through bottomland forest, and allows temporary closure for wet or muddy sites. No public route-camping right is published for the selected day-use route.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded TPWD, BRA, Commons, USGS, and same-route web review found route-context imagery but no clearly rights-clean exact Milam County Area-1-to-Area-2 paddling asset selected for local reuse.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Brazos River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Brazos River?
Paddle Today watches Brazos Rv nr Highbank, TX and treats 501 cfs to 1,200 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Brazos River route start and end?
This route starts at Brazos River Milam County Area 1 and ends at Brazos River Milam County Area 2, about About 5 mi on the water.
Is this Brazos River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.