Paddle TodayFind the best paddle near you today

Live score, water level, and weather.

New York | Steuben County / Lindley and Erwin

Tioga RiverLindley Road Tioga River hand launch to Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch

A planning-only approximately 7.5-mile Tioga River moving-water corridor from the official Lindley Road hand launch near the Village of Lindley to the official Mulholland Road/Route 417 hand launch near Painted Post. The current state boating directory lists both public hand-launch contexts, a current local guided paddle confirms active use of the Mulholland start area, USGS 01520500 provides direct Lindley stage/discharge data, and Chemung River Friends recommends 4–7 feet at Lindley while warning that upstream dam operations can change levels rapidly. The route ends before the existing Kinsella-to-Corning Chemung itinerary and does not claim any private or informal intervening landing.

Route location

Loading the route map.

Open access map

Plan this route

DistanceApproximately 7.5 planning river miles from the Lindley Road hand launch to the Mulholland Road hand launch
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 3–5 hours depending on stage
ShuttleCar shuttle
Tioga River at Lindley, New York, in the USGS station photograph used as direct gauge and same-river context for the Lindley-to-Mulholland route.
Route photoTioga River at Lindley; Lindley-to-Mulholland route and gauge contextPhoto by U.S. Geological Survey

Need to know

Why this call
This route is documented for planning, but does not receive a Paddle Today score.
View Primary Source
Embed this route

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Route overview

Trip details

Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.

Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
On-water distanceApproximately 7.5 planning river miles from the Lindley Road hand launch to the Mulholland Road hand launchLindley Road Tioga River hand launch to Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch
DifficultymoderateThe Tioga is generally gentle moving water without a whitewater designation, but the one-way distance, shallow gravel, changing wood, bridges, cold water, private islands/banks, and reservoir-driven fluctuations require competent boat control and a conservative shuttle plan.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage the downstream vehicle at the confirmed Mulholland Road/Route 417 launch, then drive to the Lindley Road launch. Confirm both bridge approaches, carries, parking, traffic, and daylight margin before unloading.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is identified for the named public hand launches. Follow current New York boating and PFD requirements, Clean-Drain-Dry controls, state launch and parking rules, bridge/road safety, private-bank restrictions, and posted closures; confirm any seasonal or event-day restrictions before departure.
CampingDay tripNo legal on-route camping is documented for this day trip. Use separate lodging or a currently open managed campground near Lindley, Painted Post, or Corning; do not camp at the launches, islands, bridges, or private Tioga banks without explicit permission.
SeasonApr-OctThe Lindley-to-Mulholland section is most practical from spring through fall. Late-summer low water can expose gravel and make the river scratchy, while rain, snowmelt, and upstream reservoir operations can raise current and carry debris quickly. Check the direct Lindley gauge, trend, weather, and both access areas before launch.

Plan ahead

Tomorrow and the weekend

Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

A planning-only approximately 7.5-mile Tioga River moving-water corridor from the official Lindley Road hand launch near the Village of Lindley to the official Mulholland Road/Route 417 hand launch near Painted Post. The current state boating directory lists both public hand-launch contexts, a current local guided paddle confirms active use of the Mulholland start area, USGS 01520500 provides direct Lindley stage/discharge data, and Chemung River Friends recommends 4–7 feet at Lindley while warning that upstream dam operations can change levels rapidly. The route ends before the existing Kinsella-to-Corning Chemung itinerary and does not claim any private or informal intervening landing.

Access map

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Start

Put-in

NYS Parks/DEC Tioga River Lindley Road hand launch
Open mapDirections to put-in

The official state boating directory identifies both launches by name and launch type, but does not provide a surveyed waterline coordinate. The stored points are access-area anchors and require current carry, parking, landing, and signage confirmation.

Finish

Take-out

NYS Parks/DEC Tioga River Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch
Open mapDirections to take-out

The direct Lindley station and 4–7 ft recommendation are route-specific planning inputs. Upstream Tioga, Hammond, and Cowanesque reservoir operations, tributary timing, recent rain, channel wood, and local bridge conditions can make the downstream reach differ materially.

Road shuttle

Driving shuttle routeShuttle in Apple MapsOpenStreetMap
Access notes and hazards

Access caveats

  • The official state boating directory identifies both launches by name and launch type, but does not provide a surveyed waterline coordinate. The stored points are access-area anchors and require current carry, parking, landing, and signage confirmation.
  • The direct Lindley station and 4–7 ft recommendation are route-specific planning inputs. Upstream Tioga, Hammond, and Cowanesque reservoir operations, tributary timing, recent rain, channel wood, and local bridge conditions can make the downstream reach differ materially.
  • The route ends at Mulholland before the existing Kinsella/Chemung itinerary. Do not merge the records or use an unofficial swimming hole, bridge shoulder, private island, or downstream confluence bank as a substitute endpoint.

Watch for

  • USGS 01520500 unavailable, changing rapidly, outside the 4–7 ft planning screen, or inconsistent with local depth and current; recent rain, snowmelt, or reservoir-operation changes
  • shallow gravel, scraping, strainers, overhanging trees, bridge hydraulics, cold-water immersion, storms, private islands/banks, and limited legal exits
  • Lindley and Mulholland parking/carry, Route 417 traffic, concrete steps, current public-use status, shuttle vehicle, daylight, and the mandatory Mulholland finish

Plan this paddle

Choose your trip times

No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.

Trip schedule

Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.

Browser plans

Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.

Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.

Conditions

Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast

Check the forecast and local water levels before launching.

Gauge detail

Water-level history and forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------

Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

Route gallery

Photos

Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.

Tioga River at Lindley, New York, in the USGS station photograph used as direct gauge and same-river context for the Lindley-to-Mulholland route.
Tioga River at Lindley; Lindley-to-Mulholland route and gauge contextPhoto by U.S. Geological Survey
USGS public domain; direct same-river context

Sources

Data and sources

Read the access and hazard notes and check the linked guides. We do not issue a daily score for this trip.

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.

  • Current public endpoint accessLindley Road and Mulholland Road/Route 417 Tioga River hand launches

    The official state boating directory lists both Tioga River hand-launch contexts, including parking/launch descriptions; current site conditions and exact waterline still require field confirmation.

    Source

  • NYSDEC Lindley hand-launch map pointBoat Launch Sites feature 636 at 42.02862938890519, -77.13218453514816

    The state GIS identifies waterbody Tioga River, hand launch, and DEC as agency for this mapped point. It replaces the former coordinate farther west near a connected unnamed channel; the exact wet toe remains unverified.

    Source

  • Current local paddling useFriends of the Chemung River Watershed guided paddle from Mulholland Road through the Tioga/Chemung system

    The current 2026 event listing confirms active organized paddling from the Mulholland area and provides current shuttle/PFD expectations; it does not grant independent access beyond the named public launch.

    Source

  • Route-specific level guidanceRecommended 4–7 ft at Tioga River at Lindley; rapid changes possible from upstream dam operations

    Chemung River Friends publishes the Lindley recommendation and the operational warning; use it as a planning screen with current trend, weather, debris, and local visual checks.

    Source

  • Direct live gaugeUSGS 01520500, Tioga River at Lindley, NY

    USGS provides current stage/discharge telemetry and documents the station near the Lindley endpoint; the station cannot reveal downstream wood, bridges, local access, or landing conditions.

    Source

  • Corridor and water characterGentle moving Tioga River through the New York section; no whitewater designation

    The regional Tioga paddling guide describes the New York launch sequence, broad valley, shallow-water variability, private islands, and ordinary canoe/kayak use. Treat its older descriptive material as context, not current permission or a safety certification.

    Source

  • Camping postureNearby lodging or managed campground basecamp only

    The launch and river sources document day-use access, not shoreline camping authorization.

    Source

  • Approved same-river context imageUSGS Tioga River at Lindley station photograph

    The public-domain image is direct same-river gauge context and does not depict the Mulholland landing, current conditions, debris, or the intervening channel.

    Source

  • Direct live gaugeUSGS 01520500, Tioga River at Lindley, NY

    USGS 01520500 is a direct stage/discharge station at Lindley near the upstream endpoint. Chemung River Friends recommends 4–7 feet at this station and warns that upstream dam operations can change levels rapidly; neither the gauge nor that recommendation certifies the downstream channel, wood, bridge features, or landing.

    Source

  • Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch

    NYS Parks boating directory / Chemung River Friends / Tioga River paddling guide and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.

    Source

  • Image decisionApproved same-river context image used for route presentation

    The image is labeled as river-level context when it depicts the named river elsewhere, not this exact reach.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Paddler reports

See recent photos and notes from people on the route.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.

More in New York

All 282 routes
New York route guideBrowse every tracked New York route.Steuben County / Lindley and ErwinJump to routes in this region.

Nearby routes within 75 miles

Chemung RiverCohocton Street Launch to Bottcher's Landing · about 9 straight-line mi awayEasy · 6 river milesChemung RiverKinsella Park Boat Launch to Cohocton Street Launch · about 10 straight-line mi awayModerate · 4.25 river milesCohocton RiverWood Road / Campbell Boat Launch to Kinsella Park Boat Launch · about 16 straight-line mi awayModerate · Approximately 8.5 planning river miles from the Wood Road Campbell launch to Kinsella ParkChemung RiverElmira Chemung River public access area to White Wagon Park, Chemung · about 18 straight-line mi awayEasy · Approximately 12.5 planning river miles by current endpoint geometry from the Elmira public access area to White Wagon Park in Chemung; the route source labels the section 10 miles

Quick answers

Tioga River paddling FAQ

What water level is best for the Lindley Road Tioga River hand launch to Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch route on the Tioga River?

This planning route has no live Paddle Today score. Review the linked water-level sources, current access notices and route-specific hazards before travel.

Where does the Lindley Road Tioga River hand launch to Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch route on the Tioga River start and end?

This route starts at NYS Parks/DEC Tioga River Lindley Road hand launch and ends at NYS Parks/DEC Tioga River Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch, Approximately 7.5 planning river miles from the Lindley Road hand launch to the Mulholland Road hand launch on the water.

Is the Lindley Road Tioga River hand launch to Mulholland Road / Route 417 hand launch route on the Tioga River suitable for beginners?

This is listed as a moderate route. Review the difficulty notes, hazards and current access conditions against your group's skills. No live score assesses this trip.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a changeEmail update