River guideMinnesota

St. Louis River

Plan a paddle across 3 paddle areas. Compare distance, difficulty, and today’s conditions before choosing your stretch.

8mapped trips
6.4–18.8 midistance range
Hard · Moderatedifficulty options

Auto-refreshes every 5 minutes.

The rocky St. Louis River spreads across a broad valley surrounded by fall foliage in Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota.
St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State ParkPhoto by Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0
Route calls
Loading route scores.

Pulling the latest scores for this river.

Choose your stretch

Pick a distance first. Conditions update with your selection.

Showing all 8 trips.

Your tripCounty Road 29 to FloodwoodAbout 6.4 mi including the Floodwood River take-out approach · About 2.5–4 hr · moderate
--Loading conditions

Loading trip map.

St. Louis River paddle planning

What to verify before you commit.

Water levels

These St. Louis River routes use 2 gauge references depending on the stretch.

Route options

Compare 8 scored routes across Duluth Area, Northeast Minnesota, Northeastern Minnesota. Open a route page for put-in, take-out, distance, source confidence, and access notes.

Difficulty

St. Louis River routes here are marked hard and moderate, so choose the stretch that fits your group and conditions.

St. Louis River paddling FAQ

Where can I paddle the St. Louis River?

Paddle Today tracks 8 St. Louis River routes across Duluth Area, Northeast Minnesota, Northeastern Minnesota. Compare the route cards on this page, then open an individual route for put-in, take-out, distance, and access notes.

How should I check St. Louis River water levels?

Start with the route score and gauge notes for the stretch you plan to paddle. This hub includes routes watched with 2 gauges or gauge references, and each route page explains its own target range or low-water floor.

Which St. Louis River route is best today?

Use the live route cards above to compare today's Paddle Today scores. The best stretch can change with water level, recent trend, weather, access, and route difficulty.