See all 36 routes on Susquehanna River
Pennsylvania | North Branch Susquehanna
Susquehanna River
North Branch: Wray's Riverfront Campground to Shikellamy State Park West
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.

Need to know
Why this call
Safety
Route safety
CautionThis route has hazards or access considerations that require extra verification.
Safety details
The current guide marks Sunbury Fabridam downstream at river mile 122.6, so stay with the Shikellamy West finish or another planned state-park take-out instead of drifting into the dam corridor.
- The river widens and slows into Lake Augusta around mile 129.9, where wind and powerboat wakes can matter more than current alone.
- Treat the last miles as a committed downstream finish with few reasons to improvise on private banks or islands.
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge note
Proxy gauge: Susquehanna River at Danville, PA. Regional signal only; verify local water.
Gauge context
This route uses Susquehanna River at Danville, PA as a proxy gauge. It is a regional signal, not a measurement of this reach. Verify local water and hazards before launching.
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
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
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 from Wray's Riverfront Campground and finish at Shikellamy State Park West for a lower Section 14 Susquehanna day. Use the Danville gauge as the official same-section proxy, keep the easiest planning days around 2 to 4 feet there, and treat Lake Augusta wind plus Fabridam take-out discipline as the decisive safety checks.
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
Wray's Riverfront CampgroundThe current guide publishes both Wray's and Shikellamy West coordinates directly in the access table.
Take-out
Shikellamy State Park WestThis route uses Danville as a same-section proxy because the current guide writes Section 14 thresholds around that gauge rather than around a lower-lake site.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The current guide publishes both Wray's and Shikellamy West coordinates directly in the access table.
- This route uses Danville as a same-section proxy because the current guide writes Section 14 thresholds around that gauge rather than around a lower-lake site.
- Wray's remains a managed private campground even though it is listed in the water-trail guide. Respect current launch and parking rules.
- Shikellamy West is the intended finish. Do not drift downstream toward Sunbury unless you have a separate portage and access plan for the Fabridam corridor.
Watch for
- Danville stages below about 2 feet, when the lower pool loses current help and wind matters more.
- Danville stages above about 4 feet, when the broad river carries more speed and less experienced groups have less time to recover from missed landings.
- Lake Augusta wind and powerboat wakes, floating wood, private shorelines, and the downstream Sunbury Fabridam hazard if you miss the planned take-out.
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.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
Score & sources
Data and sources
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 Danville, 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 | 2.00 ft |
| High threshold | 7.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | 2021 North Branch Susquehanna guide Danville 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 segmentWray's to Shikellamy West, about 9 mi
The current 2021 guide places Wray's Riverfront Campground at river mile 133.6 and Shikellamy State Park West at river mile 125.1.
- Endpoint coordinatesGuide access-table coordinates
The same guide publishes Wray's at 40.953143, -76.664439 and Shikellamy State Park West at 40.883406, -76.792510.
- Official section gauge proxyUSGS 01540500 at Danville
The current guide uses Danville for Section 13-14 thresholds, and USGS Water Services returned same-day July 16, 2026 values of 3,430 cfs and 2.89 ft at 2026-07-16 06:30 EDT there.
- Official stage guidanceDanville 2 / 4 / 7 ft
The current guide lists a 2 ft lower limit, 4 ft good paddling level, and 7 ft upper novice ceiling at Danville for Sections 13-14.
- Primary cautionLake Augusta and Sunbury Fabridam
The guide notes Lake Augusta begins near mile 129.9 and marks Sunbury Fabridam downstream at mile 122.6, making a planned state-park take-out important for 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
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.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
More in Pennsylvania
All 61 routesMore on Susquehanna River
All 36Nearby routes by distance
Quick answers
Susquehanna River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Susquehanna River?
Paddle Today watches Susquehanna River at Danville, 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 Wray's Riverfront Campground and ends at Shikellamy State Park West, about About 9 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.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

