See all 10 routes on Little Fork River
Minnesota | Northern Minnesota
Little Fork River
Fiedler to Lofgren Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Little Fork 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 Fiedler and finish at Lofgren Park for the full downstream continuation on Little Fork Map 2. This combines the quieter upper half with the Flat Rock and Highway 217 rapids on the way into Littlefork.
Put-in
Fiedler Public Water Access SiteOpen mapDevereaux is the clearest intermediate bailout if the long day is slipping, and should be treated as a real contingency plan rather than a theoretical midpoint.
Take-out
Lofgren Park Public Water Access SiteOpen mapMost of the shoreland remains private or undeveloped. Use named accesses and designated campsites only.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Devereaux is the clearest intermediate bailout if the long day is slipping, and should be treated as a real contingency plan rather than a theoretical midpoint.
- Most of the shoreland remains private or undeveloped. Use named accesses and designated campsites only.
- This route ends with better services than most northern river runs, but those services do not reduce the seriousness of the long upstream commitment.
Watch for
- Storm wood, cold water, and wind or fatigue compounding across nearly 24 river miles.
- Flat Rock Rapids plus the lower rapids around Highway 217 near the finish.
- Very slow scraping travel when the Littlefork gauge is below the 400 cfs floor.
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.
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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 | Little Fork River at Little Fork, 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 | 600 cfs to 1,500 cfs |
| Low threshold | 400 cfs |
| High threshold | 2,100 cfs |
| 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 Little Fork River at Littlefork |
| 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 live gaugeLittlefork gauge 215 cfs
The official MN DNR river-level dataset reported 215 cfs at 2026-06-25 02:30 PM for Little Fork River at Littlefork, confirming the direct same-day gauge path used for this downstream route.
- DNR bands400 / 600-1,500 / 2,100 cfs
MN DNR interprets the Littlefork gauge as Scrapable below 400 cfs, Low from 400 to 600, Medium from 600 to 1,500, High from 1,500 to 2,100, and Very High above 2,100.
- Map supportFiedler RM 44.8 to Lofgren RM 21.0
DNR Map 2 places Fiedler at river mile 44.8, Devereaux at 37.1, and Lofgren Park at 21.0, making this a 23.8-mile full downstream continuation with a named mid-route bailout.
- Rapids and hazard supportFlat Rock Rapids plus Hwy 217 rapids
The map identifies Flat Rock Rapids at river mile 29.8 as Class II with no developed portage and also marks rapids above and below Highway 217 near the Littlefork finish.
- Public access recordsFiedler WAS00943, Devereaux WAS02588, Lofgren Park WAS02245
Minnesota public-water-access data resolves the full corridor, including Devereaux as the clearest mid-route bailout before the in-town campground finish at Lofgren Park.
- Camping supportLofgren Park city campground
DNR Map 2 says Lofgren Park has a city campground with trailer access, toilets, drinking water, picnic shelter, and a camping fee, making the route best framed as an endpoint-campground finish rather than speculative dispersed camping.
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
Little Fork River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Little Fork River?
Paddle Today watches Little Fork River at Little Fork, MN and treats 600 cfs to 1,500 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Little Fork River route start and end?
This route starts at Fiedler Public Water Access Site and ends at Lofgren Park Public Water Access Site, about 23.8 mi on the water.
Is this Little Fork 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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