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Pennsylvania | North Branch Susquehanna
Susquehanna River
North Branch: Sayre PFBC to Wysox Township Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Susquehanna 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
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Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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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
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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
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Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Sayre PFBC and take out at Wysox Township Park for a long upper-to-mid Section 1 Susquehanna continuation. Use the direct Towanda stage gauge, keep the easiest planning days around 2 to 4 feet there, and treat the Towanda bridge sequence plus long exposed mileage as real same-day factors.
Prepare this trip
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Put-in
Sayre PFBC accessPFBC Section 1 publishes both Sayre PFBC and Wysox Township Park coordinates directly in the official access tables.
Take-out
Wysox Township Park accessThis is a long mainstem day for a nominally easy river. PFBC says 15 to 18 miles around the 2-foot Towanda level is already more of an experienced-paddler distance, so do not underrate a 23-mile continuation.
Plan this segment
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Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- PFBC Section 1 publishes both Sayre PFBC and Wysox Township Park coordinates directly in the official access tables.
- This is a long mainstem day for a nominally easy river. PFBC says 15 to 18 miles around the 2-foot Towanda level is already more of an experienced-paddler distance, so do not underrate a 23-mile continuation.
- Harrigan Island, Hornbrook County Park, and Riverside Acres are legal supports on the corridor, but the route still begins at Sayre PFBC and should finish at Wysox Township Park unless you have made a deliberate legal stop plan.
- Stay within the named public accesses, campgrounds, and support points rather than treating islands or private banks as casual options.
Watch for
- Fast riffles at miles 286 and 277, the strainer-prone mile-274 area, current under bridge arches at mile 272, and more quick water at miles 270, 269, and 268 flagged by PFBC.
- Towanda stages below about 1 foot, when shallower broad-river spots get scratchier and can create class I to II style wave trains.
- Towanda stages above about 4 feet, when current moves faster and small errors cost more energy late in the day; PFBC says novice paddlers should stay off above about 5 feet.
- Headwind, thunderstorms, floating wood, fatigue, private shorelines, and drifting past the obvious Wysox finish after the bridge sequence is behind you.
Route gallery
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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 | Susquehanna River at Towanda, PA |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 | 2.00 ft to 4.00 ft |
| Low threshold | -0.50 ft |
| High threshold | 5.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | PFBC North Branch Susquehanna Section 1 Towanda stage guidance |
| 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 segmentSayre PFBC to Wysox Township Park, about 23 mi
The PFBC North Branch guide family places Sayre PFBC at river mile 290.5 and Wysox Township Park at river mile 267.5.
- Endpoint coordinatesPFBC access-site coordinates
The PFBC Section 1 access table publishes Sayre PFBC at 41 59 18 / -76 36 42 and Wysox Township Park at 41 46 15 / -76 23 52.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 01531500 at Towanda
USGS Water Services returned same-day July 13, 2026 values of 1,960 cfs and 0.55 ft at 2026-07-13 20:45 EDT for Susquehanna River at Towanda, PA.
- Official stage guidanceTowanda -0.5 ft low runnable, 2 ft safe base, 5 ft novice ceiling
PFBC says the river can be paddled with Towanda as low as about -0.5 ft, uses 2 ft as the safe paddle base level, and says novice paddlers should not paddle when Towanda is over 5 ft.
- Primary cautionsFast water near miles 286, 277, 274, 272, 270, 269, and 268
The PFBC Section 1 caution list flags the upper fast-riffle sequence, the mile-274 strainer area, and the quick-water sequence approaching and just below Towanda inside this route.
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
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Reports
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Quick answers
Susquehanna River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Susquehanna River?
Paddle Today watches Susquehanna River at Towanda, PA and treats 2.00 ft to 4.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Susquehanna River route start and end?
This route starts at Sayre PFBC access and ends at Wysox Township Park access, about About 23 mi on the water.
Is this Susquehanna 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.
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