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Minnesota | Brainerd Lakes Area
Mississippi River
Lum Park to Kiwanis Park
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 Lum Park, portage Potlatch Dam on river right, and finish at Kiwanis Park. This is a short Brainerd connector for groups that intentionally want the dam carry, not a casual no-portage float.
Put-in
Rice Lake / Lum Park Public Water Access SiteOpen mapPotlatch Dam is the central hazard. Portage river right for 201 yards exactly as mapped by DNR and stay out of restricted or unsafe dam water.
Take-out
Mississippi River, Kiwanis Park Public Water Access SiteOpen mapLum Park resolves in public-water-access GIS as a Rice Lake access at river mile 1004.7, immediately above the dam corridor.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Potlatch Dam is the central hazard. Portage river right for 201 yards exactly as mapped by DNR and stay out of restricted or unsafe dam water.
- Lum Park resolves in public-water-access GIS as a Rice Lake access at river mile 1004.7, immediately above the dam corridor.
- Kiwanis Park resolves as WAS01003 at river mile 1001.1. Confirm city park parking and landing condition before leaving the take-out vehicle.
Watch for
- Dam hydraulics and any posted restrictions at the Potlatch Dam portage.
- Low-water scraping and awkward landings while the Brainerd gauge is below the official scrapable floor.
- Urban bridges, cold water, floating debris, wind, boat wake, private banks, and short-route complacency.
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 at Brainerd, 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 | 1,800 cfs to 7,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 908 cfs |
| High threshold | 10,000 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 Mississippi River at Brainerd |
| 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.
- DNR map routeLum Park RM 1004.7 to Kiwanis Park RM 1001.2
MN DNR Mississippi Map 6 lists Lum Park, the Potlatch Dam portage, Evergreen, Lyman P. White Park, and Kiwanis Park in downstream order through Brainerd.
- Mandatory portagePotlatch Dam, river-right 201-yard portage
DNR Map 6 marks Potlatch Dam at river mile 1004.1 and directs paddlers to portage right for 201 yards.
- Public access recordsWAS00357 to WAS01003
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Lum Park and Kiwanis Park with coordinates, administrators, and Mississippi water-trail river-mile records.
- Official DNR bands908 / 1,800-7,000 / 10,000 cfs
MN DNR interprets Brainerd as Scrapable below 908 cfs, Low from 908 to 1,800, Medium from 1,800 to 7,000, High from 7,000 to 10,000, and Very High above 10,000.
- Current gauge check886 cfs at 2026-07-23 09:30 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed Brainerd just below the official scrapable floor during this run, so the route should warn low until levels recover.
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
Mississippi River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Mississippi River?
Paddle Today watches Mississippi River at Brainerd, MN and treats 1,800 cfs to 7,000 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 Rice Lake / Lum Park Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Kiwanis Park Public Water Access Site, about About 3.5 mi plus 201-yard portage 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.