3788.79 ft USBR project datum
level 8.2 ft below full pool — on the low side for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series CAFE.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Best-NWO) and updates live when you load this page.
Canyon Ferry Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1990–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.
This year vs the years that matter
This year's trace against last year and the driest and wettest years on record — the drought-context question every lake regular asks.
- 1997 (wettest on record)
- 1992 (driest on record)
- 2025 (last year)
- 2026 (this year)
Full pool, datum, and the gauge
"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.
| Full pool | 3797.00 ft USBR project datum · per US Bureau of Reclamation (Montana Area Office) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 1,886,950 acre-feet · per US Bureau of Reclamation (Montana Area Office) capacity reference |
| Gauge | USACE series CAFE.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Best-NWO · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | USBR project datum — 3797.0 = top of joint use per USBR allocation sheet (top of flood control 3800.0); capacity 1,886,950 ac-ft at 3797.0. CWMS mirror verified in feet. |
| Last verified | August 15, 2026 |
LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.
Quick answers
How full is Canyon Ferry Lake right now?
Canyon Ferry Lake is at 3788.79 ft (USBR project datum) as of August 15, 2026 — 8.2 ft below full pool — on the low side for mid-August
Is Canyon Ferry Lake full?
Not quite — at 3788.79 ft, Canyon Ferry Lake is 8.2 ft below its full pool of 3797.00 ft (USBR project datum).
What is full pool for Canyon Ferry Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Canyon Ferry Lake is 3797.00 ft USBR project datum, per US Bureau of Reclamation (Montana Area Office) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.