Gauge and water level
Also: water level, gauge reading
The gauge is the measured water level of a river. It decides whether a section is runnable, too shallow or dangerously high.
Many rivers have gauging stations whose readings are available online. For well-known paddling routes there are experience values for when a section has low, medium or high water. In high water even easy spots become dangerous; in low water you scrape over rocks.
The Anfibio blog recommends apps such as RiverApp and Meine Pegel, which show water levels clearly and alert you at the levels you want.
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.