See all 9 routes on Big Fork River
Minnesota | Northern Minnesota
Big Fork RiverBen Linn Landing to Ivan Crawford Landing
Full lower Big Fork continuation from Ben Linn Landing to Ivan Crawford Landing. It carries the rapid stretch, the Gowdy and Kueffners campsite chain, then commits to the quieter lower corridor all the way to the Bear River confluence landing.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Ben Linn and finish at Ivan Crawford for a full lower Big Fork continuation. It starts with the rapid stretch, then turns into a committed lower-corridor run where distance and sparse exits dominate the day.
Access map
Put-in
Ben Linn Public Water Access SiteKueffners is the last named campsite-and-toilet checkpoint before the final push to Ivan Crawford and should be treated as a real decision point if weather or light deteriorates.
Take-out
Ivan Crawford Public Water Access SiteIvan Crawford is the intended finish before the final Reedy Flats / Rainy River approach; do not treat it as a casual optional stop if you keep drifting.
Road shuttle
Stage the take-out at Ivan Crawford before driving to Ben Linn. This is a full lower-river shuttle with a real chance of turning into an overnight, so build in daylight, weather, and backup-driver margin.
Choose a shorter tripOptional
Access planner
Choose your launch and take-out
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Ben Linn Public Water Access Site to Ivan Crawford Public Water Access Site is about 34.0 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.
Additional access notes
- Use only the named public accesses and campsites because surrounding shoreline remains private or undeveloped.
More route and safety guidance
- Kueffners is the last named campsite-and-toilet checkpoint before the final push to Ivan Crawford. Reassess there instead of forcing the entire run in deteriorating weather or light.
- Use only the named public accesses and campsites because most shoreline remains undeveloped or private frontage.
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampundefined provides a current paddling-level interpretation; Paddle Today does not turn the source hydrograph image into trend samples.
Detailed weather
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Share a recent access update, hazard observation or photo.
Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Big Fork River at Big Falls, MN |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | 2.80 ft to 4.50 ft |
| Low threshold | 1.50 ft |
| High threshold | 6.00 ft |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | MN DNR river-level interpretation bands for Big Fork River at Big Falls |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-03Big Falls gauge 2.82 ft
This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.
- DNR bands1.5 / 2.8-4.5 / 6.0 ft
MN DNR interprets the Big Falls gauge as Scrapable below 1.5 ft, Low from 1.5 to 2.8, Medium from 2.8 to 4.5, High from 4.5 to 6.0, and Very High above 6.0.
- Map supportBen Linn RM 43.0 to Ivan Crawford RM 9.0
DNR Map 2 places Ben Linn Landing at river mile 43.0, Gowdy at 34.2, Kueffners at 30.4, and Ivan Crawford at 9.0, supporting a 34.0-mile lower continuation.
- Rapid supportClass I rapids at RM 41.3-39.8
The DNR map marks a Class I rapid stretch between river miles 41.3 and 39.8 near the start of this route.
- Public access recordsBen Linn WAS01796 and Ivan Crawford WAS02705
Minnesota public-water-access data resolves Ben Linn on river right and Ivan Crawford on river right with matching water-trail river miles in the official access layer.
- Camping supportBen Linn, Gowdy, and Kueffners campsites
The DNR map says Ben Linn and Gowdy have watercraft campsites and that Kueffners adds toilets plus another campsite, giving this route real overnight structure before the simpler Ivan Crawford finish.
- Route characterVery long lower corridor after Kueffners
DNR Map 2 shows only Ivan Crawford below Kueffners before the final Reedy Flats finish, which makes this route a committed full-lower-corridor run rather than a sequence of short public hops.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Other routes nearby
More on Big Fork River
All 9Nearby routes within 75 miles
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.