North Dakota | North Dakota Badlands
Little Missouri River
Rough Rider State Park to Medora Bridge
Check current paddling conditions for this Little Missouri 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
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
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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 from the Rough Rider / former Sully Creek State Park Little Missouri access and take out at the Medora Bridge corridor for the short NPS-listed three-mile reach. Use USGS 06336000 at Medora and the NPS 2.5 ft / 699 cfs fair-boating floor, with high-water decisions kept conservative.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Rough Rider State Park canoe/kayak accessNPS names Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River segment, and ND Parks identifies Rough Rider State Park as having canoe/kayak access on the Little Missouri.
Take-out
Medora Bridge / USGS gauge access anchorRough Rider was formerly Sully Creek State Park; current state-park signs and the ND Parks map should control the actual launch path.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- NPS names Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River segment, and ND Parks identifies Rough Rider State Park as having canoe/kayak access on the Little Missouri.
- Rough Rider was formerly Sully Creek State Park; current state-park signs and the ND Parks map should control the actual launch path.
- The Medora take-out coordinate is the official USGS Little Missouri at Medora bridge/gauge coordinate used as a practical Medora Bridge anchor, not a surveyed public ramp coordinate.
- This route uses an official minimum-only threshold. NPS publishes a fair-boating floor and good band at Medora, but Paddle Today does not infer a full high-water recommendation.
- Check same-day NPS, ND Parks, weather, flood, road, bridge, and debris conditions before staging vehicles or launching.
Watch for
- Medora gauge readings below 2.5 ft / 699 cfs, when NPS says the river is below the fair-boating floor and dragging or impassable shallows are likely.
- Fast rises after summer thunderstorms, which NPS says can turn the Little Missouri into a debris-carrying torrent.
- Fences across the river, logs, flood debris, mud, cold water, rattlesnakes on banks, limited cell service, and delayed emergency response.
- Private land along the river corridor; avoid unplanned stops unless necessary for safety or clearly allowed at a public site.
- Bridge-area traffic, uncertain take-out footing, wind, shallow bars, and missing the planned Medora Bridge exit.
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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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 | Little Missouri River at Medora, ND |
| 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 699 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | NPS Theodore Roosevelt Little Missouri boating levels |
| 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.
- Official route segmentSully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge, 3 mi
NPS Theodore Roosevelt lists Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River mileage segment.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 06336000
USGS Water Services returned current Little Missouri River at Medora values during implementation: 66.3 cfs and 1.80 ft at 2026-06-12 12:00 CDT.
- Official level guidance699 cfs / 2.5 ft minimum
NPS says at least 2.5 ft / 699 cfs at Medora is required for fair boating and 2.5-3.5 ft / 699-1,500 cfs is good boating. Paddle Today uses 699 cfs as a minimum-only floor.
- Public accessRough Rider canoe/kayak access
ND Parks says Rough Rider State Park has Little Missouri River canoe/kayak access and its park map marks kayak/canoe access along the river.
- Endpoint coordinates46.89263398, -103.54044775 to 46.91684167, -103.53228333
The put-in is a practical Rough Rider / former Sully Creek access anchor already recorded from ND Parks map context. The take-out uses the official USGS Medora bridge/gauge coordinate as the Medora Bridge anchor named by NPS.
- Badlands hazardsFlash rises, debris, fences, limited services
NPS warns that storms can transform the quiet river into a debris-carrying torrent, emergency response can take hours or days, drinking water is limited, and fences may cross the river.
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
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Little Missouri River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Little Missouri River?
Paddle Today watches Little Missouri River at Medora, ND and uses 699 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Little Missouri River route start and end?
This route starts at Rough Rider State Park canoe/kayak access and ends at Medora Bridge / USGS gauge access anchor, about About 3 mi on the water.
Is this Little Missouri 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.