Cheyenne River
🏞 National Park
Pennington / Meade Co. · 295 mi · Class I
35.7CFS/ 3.94 ft
Below Optimal
→Stable
Optimal: 500–5000 CFS · USGS #06438000
⚡Flow data is live from USGS·Rapid classifications and CFS ranges need community verification··Know this river?
295 mi
Length
Class I
Difficulty
500–5000 cfs
Optimal
1,400 cfs
Avg Flow
1,260 cfs
Hist. Median
#06438000
USGS Gauge
Badlands National Park corridor · Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation

A 295-mile prairie odyssey from the Black Hills to the Missouri — the Cheyenne flows through the heart of Badlands National Park and the Pine Ridge Reservation. Remote, wild, and rarely paddled, this is South Dakota's great undiscovered river expedition. Sediment-laden and braided in the Badlands, clearer below the Wall.

Trip sections
Black Hills to Wall — 100 mi, Badlands corridor, silty and braided
Wall to confluence — 195 mi, prairie river, wider channel
Outfitters
Badlands Adventure Outfitters
Expedition planning and shuttle service
72-Hour Flow Forecast
NOAA NWPS
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10-Year Flow Patterns
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Data Quality

River conditions are community-verified. CFS ranges, difficulty ratings, and trip sections may not reflect every flow level or seasonal change. Always check current conditions, scout unfamiliar rapids, and paddle within your skill level. If you spot an error, use the Improve This River button at the top of the page — your local knowledge is what makes this atlas accurate.