See all 6 routes on Cottonwood River
Minnesota | Southern Minnesota
Cottonwood River
Highway 4 Access to County Road 10
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Highway 4 and take out at County Road 10 / Marti Landing for an official lower Cottonwood River water-trail day inside DNR’s maintained focal corridor. The Leavenworth DNR gauge was just inside the official medium band during this run, but local depth and wood checks still matter.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
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This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
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Put-in
Cottonwood River, Hwy 4 Public Water Access SiteMN DNR Map 4 places Highway 4 at river mile 31.6, Theden’s at river mile 29.0, and County Road 10 at river mile 23.5.
Take-out
Cottonwood River, Co Rd 10 Public Water Access SiteMinnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 4 as WAS02675 and County Road 10 as WAS01423, both carry-in natural launches with parking and no restroom.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- MN DNR Map 4 places Highway 4 at river mile 31.6, Theden’s at river mile 29.0, and County Road 10 at river mile 23.5.
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 4 as WAS02675 and County Road 10 as WAS01423, both carry-in natural launches with parking and no restroom.
- The selected Leavenworth / County Road 8 gauge is upstream of the reach. Use it as an official interpreted same-river proxy, not a substitute for visual checks at the put-in and take-out.
Watch for
- Low-water scraping below the DNR medium band, especially through inside bars and shallow bends.
- Strainers, fresh wood, muddy banks, bridge debris, fast rises after rain, and cold-water exposure outside summer.
- Private banks away from public accesses; do not assume informal field edges or gravel bars are legal landing or camping spots.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Cottonwood River nr Leavenworth, CR8 |
| 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 |
| Target band | 967.00 ft to 971.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 963.00 ft |
| High threshold | 974.00 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 Cottonwood River near Leavenworth |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Route milepointsHighway 4 RM 31.6 to County Road 10 RM 23.5
MN DNR Map 4 maps the selected Cottonwood reach and names the intermediate Theden’s landing at river mile 29.0.
- Public access recordsWAS02675 to WAS01423
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves the Highway 4 and County Road 10 Cottonwood River accesses with carry-in launch type, parking, coordinates, and river-mile records.
- Official DNR bands963 / 967-971 / 974 ft
MN DNR interprets the Leavenworth gauge as Scrapable below 963 ft, Low from 963 to 967, Medium from 967 to 971, High from 971 to 974, and Very High above 974.
- Current gauge check967.04 ft at 2026-07-23 08:15
The current MN DNR feed placed Leavenworth just inside the official medium band during this run.
- Camping postureDay route, no selected campsite
DNR trip-planning guidance says to camp only in designated campsites; the selected Highway 4-to-County Road 10 reach has public accesses but no selected designated river campsite.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Cottonwood River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cottonwood River?
Paddle Today watches Cottonwood River nr Leavenworth, CR8 and treats 967.00 ft to 971.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Cottonwood River route start and end?
This route starts at Cottonwood River, Hwy 4 Public Water Access Site and ends at Cottonwood River, Co Rd 10 Public Water Access Site, about About 8.1 mi on the water.
Is this Cottonwood River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.