Minnesota | Central Minnesota

Mississippi River

Montissippi County Park to Norin Landing

Check current paddling conditions for this Mississippi River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. This usually takes a few seconds.
Checking live data

Route snapshot

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Get the answer fast, then scan the route.

Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.

LevelCheckingChecking
TrendCheckingChecking 24h change
WeatherLoadingAir: No reading
RainLoadingRecent rain: Checking

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------

Best window today

Checking weather.

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--
DifficultyeasyThis is a short-to-moderate Mississippi connector with public park endpoints, island channels, and low-water riffle or shallow-bar concerns.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Use the named public accesses, follow Minnesota boating/PFD rules, and obey city, county, DNR, SNA, and fishing rules.
CampingOptions nearbyTreat this as a day route. Bridgeview Park camping is by permission only and Dimmick Island campsite is downstream of the Norin take-out, so this card does not assume on-route camping.
SeasonMay-OctLate spring through fall is the practical window. Use the St. Cloud gauge as the same-map flow check, then make a local call for wind, side-channel depth, and island-routing conditions.

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, shuttle, and map

Launch at Montissippi County Park and take out at Norin Landing for the missing Map 8 connector above the already-live Norin-to-Babcock route. Use the St. Cloud gauge as an upstream same-map proxy.

Plan a shorter segmentOptional

Pick a shorter segment

This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.

On-water distanceAbout 7.8 miLake to creek
On-water timeAbout 5 to 7 hrFull route option
ShuttleSelf-shuttleChoose a shorter in/out pair for a shorter day.

Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.

Start

Put-in

Mississippi River, Montissippi Park Public Water Access SiteOpen map

Montissippi Park resolves as WAS01292, Ellison Park resolves as WAS01310, and Norin Landing resolves as WAS02427 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.

Finish

Take-out

Mississippi River, Norin Landing Public Water Access SiteOpen map

The St. Cloud gauge is upstream of this route and should be treated as a same-map proxy. Make a local visual check for island-channel depth and wind before launching.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Montissippi Park resolves as WAS01292, Ellison Park resolves as WAS01310, and Norin Landing resolves as WAS02427 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
  • The St. Cloud gauge is upstream of this route and should be treated as a same-map proxy. Make a local visual check for island-channel depth and wind before launching.
  • Norin is the planned take-out for this card. The Norin-to-Babcock continuation is already modeled as a separate route.

Watch for

  • Island channels, shallow bars, riffles, sweepers, and floating wood through the Mississippi River Islands corridor.
  • Wind on open bends, motorboat wake, anglers, bridge current, cold water, and private banks.
  • SNA and park rules. Use public accesses and legal public stops rather than improvising on islands or private shoreline.

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.

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.

Today'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.
Tomorrow and weekend

This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Gauge, 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
Data confidence 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
What 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 sequenceMontissippi river mile 899-898.4 to Norin Landing river mile 891

    MN DNR Mississippi Map 8 places Montissippi County Park, Bridgeview Park, Ellison Park, the Mississippi River Islands SNA, and Norin Landing in downstream order.

    Source

  • Public access recordsWAS01292, WAS01310, and WAS02427

    Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Montissippi Park, Ellison Park, and Norin Landing with source-backed coordinates and river miles.

    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 check4,490 cfs at 2026-07-16 04:45 PM

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

    Source

  • Camping contextDay route only

    Bridgeview Park camping is by permission only and Dimmick Island campsite is downstream of Norin, so this card does not assume on-route camping.

    Source

Check the source links

Photos, paddler notes, and updates.

See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

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

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, Montissippi Park Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Norin Landing Public Water Access Site, about About 7.8 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.

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.