Getting started

Most of GageLog works without an account: every gage's detail page is public, with history capped at the last 7 days. An account removes that cap and adds tracking; paid plans add monitors, deep-history restores, and reporting workbooks.

What you can do without an account

• Search and browse all 9,100+ gages on Explore.
• Open any gage's detail page: today's readings, the last 7 days, anomaly detection, and the station map.
• Download a gage's readings straight from the operating agency — every detail page links to its source. The data is public; GageLog's value is normalization, analytics, and alerting on top of it.

Creating an account

Two ways in, both from the sign-up page:

• Google — one click, no separate password. If a GageLog account already exists under your Gmail address, signing in with Google links to it rather than creating a duplicate.
• Email and password — you'll receive an activation link that must be clicked before the first sign-in. If it doesn't arrive, check spam; the message comes from an @gagelog.com address.

Both paths ask you to accept the Terms of Service once. API access via JWT is available to verified accounts — see Exports & the API.

A sensible first ten minutes

1. Find a gage you know on Explore — search by river name, station ID, or state.
2. On its detail page, open the Today tab and click "What is this?" under any chart. Every chart on the site explains exactly how it's computed.
3. Track the gage (button in the page header). Tracked gages get a shared dashboard, side-by-side comparison, and are where monitors and archive restores attach.
4. If your plan includes monitors, set one: the wizard suggests a threshold from the gage's recent range and backtests it against the last 30 days before you commit.