See all 12 routes on Crow Wing River
Minnesota | Wadena Area
Crow Wing River
Mary Brown to Cottingham County Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Crow Wing River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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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
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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 Mary Brown and finish at Cottingham for the full upper-to-lower Crow Wing county-chain continuation. The route stays gauge-consistent, but the Nimrod-area rapids, low-water pace, and busy downstream finish make it a deliberate all-day plan.
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.
Prepare this trip
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Put-in
Mary Brown Rest Area #5 carry-in accessMary Brown is a remote carry-in access with few frills, so inspect the launch and parking setup before leaving a vehicle.
Take-out
Cottingham County Park #11 carry-in accessAnderson's Crossing is the natural early split point, and Stigman's Mound, Little White Dog, and Knob Hill remain the clearest later bailout or overnight options.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Mary Brown is a remote carry-in access with few frills, so inspect the launch and parking setup before leaving a vehicle.
- Anderson's Crossing is the natural early split point, and Stigman's Mound, Little White Dog, and Knob Hill remain the clearest later bailout or overnight options.
- Cottingham is a county park with heavier summer use for swimming and tubing, so expect a busier and less secluded take-out than the upstream landings.
Watch for
- Walkin's Rapids, Burrows Rapids, and Westra Rapids on the upper half of the route.
- Fresh wood, sweepers, and stronger current after storms.
- Long low-water dragging plus tubing and swimmer traffic near Knob Hill and Cottingham on summer weekends.
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
Why this score
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 | Crow Wing River at Nimrod, MN |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | 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 | 400 cfs to 800 cfs |
| Low threshold | 300 cfs |
| High threshold | 1,100 cfs |
| 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 Crow Wing River at Nimrod |
| 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.
- Direct same-corridor gaugeNimrod gauge 284 cfs
The official MN DNR river-level dataset reported 284 cfs at 2026-07-14 12:00 PM for Crow Wing River at Nimrod, confirming the current same-river gauge path used for this route.
- DNR bands300 / 400-800 / 1,100 cfs
MN DNR interprets Nimrod as Scrapable below 300 cfs, Low from 300 to 400, Medium from 400 to 800, High from 800 to 1,100, and Very High above 1,100.
- Map supportMary Brown 75.3 to Cottingham 49.5
Crow Wing Maps 1 and 2 place Mary Brown at river mile 75.3 and Cottingham County Park at 49.5, supporting a 25.8-mile full continuation that bridges the upstream Mary Brown corridor to the lower county-park chain.
- Public access recordsMary Brown WAS02558 and Cottingham WAS01543
Minnesota public-water-access records resolve Mary Brown and Cottingham County Park as official Crow Wing accesses with corridor-matching endpoint support.
- Camping supportAnderson's, Little White Dog, Knob Hill, and Cottingham support
Wadena County still documents Anderson's Crossing, Little White Dog, Knob Hill, and Cottingham as campground or county-park properties, so this route has multiple legal split or bailout options without implying informal shoreline camping.
- Rapids supportWalkin's, Burrows, and Westra Rapids
Crow Wing Map 1 marks the named rapids on the Nimrod half of this longer route before the calmer but busier downstream county-park corridor.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- MN DNR river levels
- MN DNR Crow Wing River overview
- MN DNR Crow Wing River segments and maps
- MN DNR Crow Wing River Map 1 PDF
- MN DNR Crow Wing River Map 2 PDF
- Wadena County Anderson's Crossing Campground
- Wadena County Cottingham Park Campground
- Wadena County Knob Hill Campground
- Wadena County Little White Dog Campground
- Minnesota public water access feature service
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Crow Wing River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Crow Wing River?
Paddle Today watches Crow Wing River at Nimrod, MN and treats 400 cfs to 800 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Crow Wing River route start and end?
This route starts at Mary Brown Rest Area #5 carry-in access and ends at Cottingham County Park #11 carry-in access, about 25.8 mi on the water.
Is this Crow Wing River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.