North DakotaReservoir, 314,243 acres
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1,823.92ft
Steady this week
Sailing
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Kayak and SUP
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Power boating
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Fishing
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Outlook. Monday: ESE wind 8 to 10 kt, gusts to 17 kt, high near 43°F. Tuesday: SE wind 9 to 13 kt, gusts to 22 kt, high near 46°F.
7-day wind forecastLoads when you scroll here
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Last hour of NOAA MRMS radar, 1 km resolution. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenMapTiles, OpenFreeMap.
1,823.92ft NGVD29
-0.04 ft in 7 days15.40 ft below the October normal
Reading from Oct 26, 2026. Shaded band: range of October averages on record; dashed line is the typical level.
Lake Sakakawea was at 1,823.92 ft on October 26, holding steady over the past week (-0.04 ft). That is well below normal for October: the typical October level is 1,839.32 ft, so the lake is 15.40 ft below its usual mark.
Background reading: Lake Sakakawea on Wikipedia
Set in North Dakota, Lake Sakakawea is a 314,243-acre reservoir. The reservoir dates to 1946. The surface sits about 1,818 ft above sea level and the deepest point is roughly 180 ft down.
Water level on this page comes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reading at Garrison Dam & Reservoir, published through the Corps' CWMS data service. Wind, gusts and rain come from the National Weather Service forecast grid that covers the water.
On a lake this size the wind has miles of open water to work with, so a 15 kt breeze can stack up a steep chop in the main basin while sheltered coves stay flat. Reservoir levels move with releases and inflow, so ramps and beaches can change week to week. The water level page tracks that day by day.
The go or no-go calls above are a starting point, not a guarantee. Read how we score conditions, and always check local rules and posted warnings before you launch.
The National Weather Service forecast for the lake from October 26: Monday: ESE wind 8 to 10 kt, gusts to 17 kt, high near 43°F. The panel at the top of this page refreshes the current wind, gusts and direction when you open it and turns them into a call for sailing, paddling, power boating and fishing.
Lake Sakakawea was at 1,823.92 ft on October 26, holding steady over the past week (-0.04 ft). That is well below normal for October: the typical October level is 1,839.32 ft, so the lake is 15.40 ft below its usual mark.
Lake Sakakawea covers about 314,243 acres (491 square miles) of surface water.
The deepest point of Lake Sakakawea is roughly 180 ft.
The dam that forms Lake Sakakawea was completed in 1946.
If Sakakawea is blown out, these are the closest alternatives. Tap through for their conditions.