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Minnesota | Mississippi Headwaters
Mississippi River
Coffee Pot Landing to Bear Den
Check current paddling conditions for this Mississippi 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 Coffee Pot Landing and finish at Bear Den for a long upper-Mississippi headwaters day through wetland channels and Stumphges Rapids. Use Wilton as a downstream same-map DNR gauge proxy and make same-day vegetation and wood checks.
Put-in
Mississippi River, Coffee Pot Landing Public Water Access SiteOpen mapCoffee Pot and Bear Den are both DNR-administered public accesses in the Minnesota public-water-access layer, but the landings are rural and should be checked before the shuttle is committed.
Take-out
Mississippi River, Bear Den Public Water Access SiteOpen mapThe reach passes through a large wetland area where vegetation can obscure the best channel. Do not shortcut across private banks or side channels just because the river looks braided.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Coffee Pot and Bear Den are both DNR-administered public accesses in the Minnesota public-water-access layer, but the landings are rural and should be checked before the shuttle is committed.
- The reach passes through a large wetland area where vegetation can obscure the best channel. Do not shortcut across private banks or side channels just because the river looks braided.
- Bear Den is the planned finish. Continuing to Iron Bridge is a separate route with a different shuttle and gauge relationship.
Watch for
- Aquatic vegetation obstructions, log jams, dense wetland channels, cold water, and private shoreland.
- Stumphges Rapids Class I in low or wood-affected conditions.
- High or rising water, when finding the main channel and landing cleanly can become harder.
Route gallery
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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 | Mississippi River near Wilton, CSAH7 |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 | 40.00 ft to 42.50 ft |
| Low threshold | 39.10 ft |
| High threshold | 45.00 ft |
| 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 Mississippi River near Wilton |
| 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 map routeCoffee Pot RM 1326.2 to Bear Den RM 1311.4, 14.8 miles
MN DNR Map 1 labels Coffee Pot Landing, Brownie watercraft campsite, Stumphges Rapids, Bear Den, and the wetland caution area on this headwaters corridor.
- Public access recordsWAS00730 to WAS02254
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Coffee Pot Landing and Bear Den as DNR-administered public accesses with coordinates, launch data, directions, and river miles.
- Official DNR bands39.1 / 40.0-42.5 / 45.0 ft
MN DNR interprets the Wilton gauge as Scrapable below 39.1 ft, Low from 39.1 to 40.0, Medium from 40.0 to 42.5, High from 42.5 to 45.0, and Very High above 45.0.
- Current gauge check41.69 ft at 2026-07-23 01:30 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed Wilton in the official medium band during this run.
- Camping and safety rulesDesignated campsites only; riverbed camping next to private property not permitted
DNR Map 1 includes watercraft camping rules plus watercraft campsites at Coffee Pot and Brownie in this route area.
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.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Mississippi River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Mississippi River?
Paddle Today watches Mississippi River near Wilton, CSAH7 and treats 40.00 ft to 42.50 ft 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, Coffee Pot Landing Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Bear Den Public Water Access Site, about 14.8 mi on the water.
Is this Mississippi 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.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.