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Minnesota | Central Minnesota

Mississippi River

Clearwater to Snuffie's Landing

Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.

Route location

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Open access map
DistanceAbout 8.2 mi
DifficultyEasy
Typical timeAbout 2.5 hr to 4 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
Sunset reflects across the Mississippi River backwaters near Weaver, Minnesota.
River contextMississippi River near Weaver, Minnesota river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tom Fisk / Pexels

Need to know

Why this call
This route is documented for planning, but does not receive a Paddle Today score.
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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.

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Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

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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

On-water distanceAbout 8.2 miClearwater to Snuffie's Landing
DifficultyeasyThis is a shorter Mississippi day than the adjacent Beaver Island route, but it still has big-river wind, motorboat, private-bank, and low-water riffle concerns.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage Snuffie's Landing first, then drive back to Clearwater. Inspect the take-out before launch because the landing is tucked into the lower end of the route and the river continues into the Norin / Babcock corridor.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Use the named public accesses, follow Minnesota boating/PFD rules, and obey city, DNR, camping, and fishing rules.
CampingOptions nearbyDNR Map 8 identifies Oak Island at river mile 906 as a no-fee watercraft campsite. Treat camping as designated-site only; do not assume private island, sandbar, or bank camping elsewhere.
SeasonMay-OctLate spring through fall is the practical window. The gauge is upstream at St. Cloud, so verify the Clearwater launch, wind, and local riffles before committing.

Plan ahead

Upcoming outlook

These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

Launch at Clearwater and finish at Snuffie's Landing for a shorter Map 8 Mississippi connector below the existing Beaver-Island-to-Clearwater route. The St. Cloud gauge is upstream, so pair the official bands with local wind, riffle, and access checks.

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Prepare this trip

Take the plan with you

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Start

Put-in

Mississippi River, Clearwater Public Water Access Site
Open map

Clearwater resolves as WAS01309 at river mile 913.7 and Snuffie's Landing resolves as WAS01297 at river mile 905.5 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.

Finish

Take-out

Mississippi River, Snuffie's Landing Public Water Access Site
Open map

The St. Cloud gauge is upstream of this route and should be treated as a same-map proxy, not an exact local measurement.

Plan this segment

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Clearwater resolves as WAS01309 at river mile 913.7 and Snuffie's Landing resolves as WAS01297 at river mile 905.5 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
  • The St. Cloud gauge is upstream of this route and should be treated as a same-map proxy, not an exact local measurement.
  • Take out at Snuffie's for this card. Do not drift into the downstream Norin and Babcock corridor without a separate shuttle plan.

Watch for

  • Low-water riffles, shallow side channels, and slower progress when the upstream St. Cloud gauge is near the low band.
  • Fast current, floating wood, bridge approaches, wind on open bends, motorboats, anglers, cold water, and private banks.
  • Finding Snuffie's Landing from the water before the final bends and avoiding unplanned downstream continuation.

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.

Sunset reflects across the Mississippi River backwaters near Weaver, Minnesota.
Mississippi River near Weaver, Minnesota river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tom Fisk / Pexels
Pexels License

Score & sources

Data and sources

See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge inputChecking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather inputChecking

Waiting on weather.

Next stepChecking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

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.

Why
  • Checking evidence-strength notes.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge siteMississippi River at St. Cloud, MN
DischargeChecking
Gauge heightChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Target band3,000 cfs to 9,000 cfs
Low threshold2,000 cfs
High threshold12,000 cfs
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial data source
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreMN DNR river-level interpretation bands for Mississippi River at St. Cloud
Gauge sourceChecking
Weather sourceChecking
Rainfall sourceChecking
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 map sequenceClearwater river mile 913.7 to Snuffie's Landing river mile 905.5

    MN DNR Mississippi Map 8 places Clearwater, Oak Island watercraft campsite, and Snuffie's Landing in sequence below the recommended Beaver-Island-to-Clearwater day route.

    Source

  • Public access recordsWAS01309 and WAS01297

    Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Clearwater and Snuffie's Landing with coordinates, administrators, river miles, and parking context.

    Source

  • DNR bands2,000 / 3,000-9,000 / 12,000 cfs

    MN DNR interprets the St. Cloud gauge as Scrapable below 2,000 cfs, Low from 2,000 to 3,000, Medium from 3,000 to 9,000, High from 9,000 to 12,000, and Very High above 12,000.

    Source

  • Current gauge check2,340 cfs at 2026-07-23 11:45 CDT

    The current MN DNR feed placed St. Cloud in the official low band during this run.

    Source

  • Camping contextOak Island watercraft campsite

    DNR Map 8 identifies Oak Island at river mile 906 as a no-fee watercraft campsite; do not assume private island or riverbank camping elsewhere.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Paddler reports

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Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

More in Minnesota

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Minnesota route guideBrowse every tracked Minnesota route.Central MinnesotaJump to routes in this region.

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Nearby routes by distance

Sauk RiverPineview Park to Heims Mill · about 14 mi awayModerate · 6.2 miSauk RiverKnights of Columbus Park to Heims Mill · about 14 mi awayModerate · 4.5 miSauk RiverMiller Landing to Knights of Columbus Park · about 14 mi awayEasy · 3.1 miSauk RiverMiller Landing to Heims Mill · about 14 mi awayModerate · 7.6 mi

Quick answers

Mississippi River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Mississippi River?

Paddle Today watches Mississippi River at St. Cloud, MN and treats 3,000 cfs to 9,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this Mississippi River route start and end?

This route starts at Mississippi River, Clearwater Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Snuffie's Landing Public Water Access Site, about About 8.2 mi on the water.

Is this Mississippi 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.

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