Utah | Ogden Valley / Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
South Fork Ogden River
Willows Campground to Magpie Campground
Check current paddling conditions for this South Fork Ogden 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 Willows Campground and take out at Magpie Campground for a public-access South Fork Ogden River run inside the Forest Service campground complex. Use USGS 10137500, expect no-go conditions below about 175 cfs, and treat all wood, bridges, and private-bank edges conservatively.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Willows Campground / South Fork Ogden River put-inForest Service coordinates are campground arrival/access anchors, not surveyed water-entry pixels. Use signed paths, host instructions, and current posted access rules for the actual launch and landing.
Take-out
Magpie Campground / South Fork Ogden River take-outThe route intentionally ends at Magpie to avoid the private-sensitive Huntsville Hollow and lower take-out issues reported on American Whitewater. Continuing downstream requires a separate legal-access and hazard review.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Forest Service coordinates are campground arrival/access anchors, not surveyed water-entry pixels. Use signed paths, host instructions, and current posted access rules for the actual launch and landing.
- The route intentionally ends at Magpie to avoid the private-sensitive Huntsville Hollow and lower take-out issues reported on American Whitewater. Continuing downstream requires a separate legal-access and hazard review.
- Campground gates, seasonal operations, fire restrictions, parking availability, reservations, and host directions can change the practical staging plan.
- Keep the group on public Forest Service property and the legal river corridor; do not shortcut through campsites, private land, fences, or no-parking areas.
Watch for
- Class II-III(IV) character on the broader AW reach; treat this route as whitewater/swiftwater even when the campground complex looks informal.
- Strainers, fresh wood, narrow bends, low bridges, log-jam/bridge-portage history, and low-water scraping.
- Cold mountain water, fast changes from releases/runoff/storms, and poor margin for beginners at higher flows.
- Anglers, swimmers, tubers, campground traffic, host vehicles, and family use around every public access point.
- Private-bank and lower-takeout sensitivity downstream of the public Forest Service complex.
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.
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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 | South Fork Ogden River Near Huntsville, UT |
| 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 175 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater South Fork Ogden trip-report minimum context |
| 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.
- Live gaugeUSGS 10137500 at 50.4 cfs / 1.42 ft
USGS Water Services returned South Fork Ogden River near Huntsville discharge and gage height at 00:15 MDT on 2026-08-14.
- Route shapeWillows Campground to Magpie Campground
Forest Service pages place the South Fork complex campgrounds in west-to-east order and state the river flows through or adjacent to the endpoints; AW separately documents the broader 7.5-mile Causey-to-Huntsville whitewater reach.
- Endpoint coordinates41.292013, -111.634697 to 41.270264, -111.667206
Forest Service publishes latitude/longitude for Willows Campground and Magpie Campground. Stored points are arrival/access anchors; use signed campground river access and current host or posted guidance for the actual water-entry and landing paths.
- CampingEndpoint campgrounds, reservation/fee rules, 7-day limits
Forest Service pages list seasonal campground operations, reservations, fees/current-availability referral, potable water/vault toilets where available, gate/quiet-hour rules, and a 7-day stay limit at Willows.
- SafetyPFD-required South Fork floating plus AW whitewater hazards
Forest Service South Fork pages require life jackets for floating/tubing, while AW reports Class II-III(IV) character, strainers, low bridges, and private-sensitive lower take-out history on the broader reach.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded Forest Service, AW, Commons, and same-route web review found route/context photos but no clearly rights-clean exact Willows-to-Magpie 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
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
South Fork Ogden River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling South Fork Ogden River?
Paddle Today watches South Fork Ogden River Near Huntsville, UT and uses 175 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this South Fork Ogden River route start and end?
This route starts at Willows Campground / South Fork Ogden River put-in and ends at Magpie Campground / South Fork Ogden River take-out, about About 3 mi on the water.
Is this South Fork Ogden River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.