See all 12 routes on Crow Wing River
Minnesota | Wadena Area
Crow Wing River
Old Wadena County Park to Green Oak Landing
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.
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
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
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 Old Wadena and finish at Green Oak for the lower Crow Wing access chain below the existing Cottingham-to-Old-Wadena card. This is gentle water, but the Sylvan Dam gauge is downstream and local conditions still control.
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
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Old Wadena County Park #13 carry-in accessOld Wadena, McGivern, Marsh, and Green Oak are official public-access records, but county-park parking, campsite rules, and landing condition should be checked before launch.
Take-out
Green Oak Landing carry-in accessThe Sylvan Dam gauge is downstream of this segment. Use the official bands as a lower-river signal, then verify depth and obstructions locally at the accesses.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Old Wadena, McGivern, Marsh, and Green Oak are official public-access records, but county-park parking, campsite rules, and landing condition should be checked before launch.
- The Sylvan Dam gauge is downstream of this segment. Use the official bands as a lower-river signal, then verify depth and obstructions locally at the accesses.
- Green Oak is the selected take-out. Continuing downstream changes the trip into a longer Lake Placid / Pillager Dam approach plan.
Watch for
- Shallow sandbars and slow current when the lower-Crow-Wing gauge is near the scrapable or low bands.
- Fresh strainers, outside-bend wood, cold water, and rural rescue spacing between named landings.
- Private banks away from public accesses and designated campsites.
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 | Crow Wing River near Pillager, Sylvan Dam |
| 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 | 800 cfs to 3,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 400 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 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 near Pillager / Sylvan Dam |
| 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.
- DNR bands400 / 800-3000 / 5000 cfs
MN DNR interprets the Sylvan Dam gauge as Scrapable below 400 cfs, Low from 400 to 800, Medium from 800 to 3,000, High from 3,000 to 5,000, and Very High above 5,000.
- Current gauge check1,150 cfs at 2026-07-17 06:45
The live MN DNR feed placed the Sylvan Dam gauge inside the official medium band during this run.
- Map supportOld Wadena RM 38.9 to Green Oak RM 26.4
MN DNR Map 2 places Old Wadena, McGivern, Marsh, and Green Oak in sequence and identifies county-park or watercraft-campsite support along this lower Crow Wing section.
- Public access recordsWAS02504 / WAS01328 / WAS01529 / WAS01756
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves the selected endpoints and intermediate landings with coordinates and public access records.
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.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Crow Wing River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Crow Wing River?
Paddle Today watches Crow Wing River near Pillager, Sylvan Dam and treats 800 cfs to 3,000 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 Old Wadena County Park #13 carry-in access and ends at Green Oak Landing carry-in access, about 12.5 mi on the water.
Is this Crow Wing 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.