See all 7 routes on Cottonwood River
Minnesota | Southern Minnesota
Cottonwood River
Highway 4 Access to County Road 10
Check current paddling conditions for this Cottonwood River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
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
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
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
Pick a shorter segment
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.
Put-in
Cottonwood River, Hwy 4 Public Water Access SiteOpen mapMN 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 SiteOpen mapMinnesota 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.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
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
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
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 |
| Data confidence 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
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
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More routes to check next
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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.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.