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Is the Vltava high enough to canoe today? The live flow at the Vyšší Brod gauge against the range local operators call runnable — and who calls the river closed.
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The Vltava through Český Krumlov is one of the most-paddled rivers in the country — the Vyšší Brod → Boršov run, with the town near its middle. Whether it's worth putting a canoe in comes down to how much water is in the river: too little and you scrape the gravel, too much and it turns pushy or gets closed. This reads the live flow at the Vyšší Brod gauge and places it against the range local operators treat as paddleable.
Low — 6 m³/s
Below about 7 m³/s the Vltava runs shallow and slow through the upper valley — you may scrape gravel and have to walk boats over the shallows. It rarely dries up: the Lipno dam is required to release at least 6 m³/s year-round. Last reading 24 August at 1:20.
The flow is read at Vyšší Brod on the Vltava. Vyšší Brod sits about 43 km upstream, at the top of the run — the reference gauge operators use for the whole stretch.
These bands come from Czech paddling flow reports (surfsport.cz) and describe how much water is in the river — not a judgement that paddling is safe for you today. Cold, moving water is stronger than it looks.
| Flow | What it means |
|---|---|
| → Lowunder 7 m³/s | Below about 7 m³/s the Vltava runs shallow and slow through the upper valley — you may scrape gravel and have to walk boats over the shallows. It rarely dries up: the Lipno dam is required to release at least 6 m³/s year-round. |
| Runnable7–25 m³/s | Roughly 7–25 m³/s is the range operators treat as good paddling water on the Vyšší Brod–Boršov run — enough to float a loaded canoe without much scraping. Grade WW I, the easiest moving water. |
| High — at your own risk25 m³/s and up | Above about 25 m³/s the current turns fast and pushy. Operators say the river is then run 'at your own risk', and some stop hiring out boats. If a flood degree is declared, treat the river as closed — see below. |
On the water
Who calls the river closed
When the Vltava reaches a flood degree (stupeň povodňové aktivity), the water is dangerous and paddling stops. That call is made by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and the Český Krumlov flood commission — not by this page. The commission runs a 24-hour flood hotline, 380 766 333.
The river is busiest from late spring to early autumn, when warmer water and the Lipno releases make the Vyšší Brod–Boršov run comfortable; many rental boats run roughly May to September. The dam's guaranteed minimum release keeps the middle section runnable year-round, but spring snowmelt and summer storms can push the flow up fast.
| Spot | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vyšší Brod | Put in | The usual start of the run. |
| Český Krumlov | On-river marker | The town's weirs are portaged or shot — scout them, and never in high water. |
| Boršov nad Vltavou | Take out | The usual end of the run, before České Budějovice. |
The Vltava reaches Český Krumlov off the Lipno reservoir and out of the Šumava headwaters. The dam sets the everyday flow, which is why the middle river stays paddleable even in a dry summer — and why the level can rise under a clear local sky when the dam releases or the headwaters get rain.
Český Krumlov's own gauge at Nové Spolí reports water height but not flow, so this page reads the flow at Vyšší Brod, about 43 km upstream — the reference gauge every operator on this run uses. The whole Vyšší Brod–Boršov stretch is one flow regime, so it is a good guide to the water through town.
Checked 24 August at 3:52. Recent readings are provisional, subject to revision. River data from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) open data, licensed CC BY 4.0.
6 m³/s
Low