See all 4 routes on Kettle River
Minnesota | Northeast Minnesota
Kettle River#1 trailer access to #4 / Banning State Park
Advanced Banning corridor from the Highway 23 #1 access to the #4 take-out below the main portage/rapid sequence, using the Sandstone DNR gauge and explicit whitewater filtering.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Kettle River #1 and take out at #4 for the advanced Banning / Sandstone corridor.
Access map
Put-in
Kettle River, #1 Public Water Access Site#1, #2, Sandstone, and #4 all resolve in Minnesota public-water-access GIS with DNR river-mile records.
Take-out
Kettle River, #4 Public Water Access SiteThe Sandstone gauge is in the downstream half of the route near the main hazard corridor. It cannot replace scouting the portages, falls, ledges, and wood.
Road shuttle
Stage #4 first, then drive back to the Highway 23 #1 access. Walk the #4 take-out and review the Banning portage plan before launching because this route is intentionally whitewater-filtered.
Choose a shorter tripOptional
Access planner
Choose your launch and take-out
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Kettle River, #1 Public Water Access Site to Kettle River, #4 Public Water Access Site is about 6.2 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.
Additional access notes
- Use #4 as the planned finish below the main Banning hazard corridor. Do not continue downstream unless intentionally using the separate #4-to-#5 card.
More route and safety guidance
- The current Sandstone reading was far below the official scrapable floor during this run; expect dragging and unsafe rock contact until flows recover.
- Use #4 as the planned finish below the main Banning hazard corridor. The easier #4-to-#5 connector is a separate card.
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampundefined provides a current paddling-level interpretation; Paddle Today does not turn the source hydrograph image into trend samples.
Detailed weather
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Share a recent access update, hazard observation or photo.
Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Kettle River nr Sandstone, 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 |
| Preferred range | 1,000 cfs to 1,500 cfs |
| Low threshold | 800 cfs |
| High threshold | 2,000 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 Kettle River near Sandstone |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official map route#1 RM 29.8 to #4 RM 23.6, about 6.2 miles
MN DNR Kettle Maps 1 and 2 place #1, #2, Sandstone, the Banning/Sandstone rapid corridor, and #4 in sequence.
- Public access recordsWAS00904 to WAS02573
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves #1, #2, Sandstone, and #4 with public access names, coordinates, launch type, and river-mile records.
- Official DNR bands800 / 1000-1500 / 2000 cfs
MN DNR interprets the Sandstone gauge as Scrapable below 800 cfs, Low from 800 to 1000, Medium from 1000 to 1500, High from 1500 to 2000, and Very High above 2000.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-23138 cfs at 2026-07-23 02:00 CDT
This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.
- Banning hazard contextPortage Banning Rapids and Big Spring Falls as conditions require
The DNR river-level site skills and Banning State Park materials identify dangerous currents, undercut walls, ledges, Sandstone Rapids, and Big Spring Falls in this corridor.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Other routes nearby
More on Kettle River
All 4Nearby routes within 75 miles
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.