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Minnesota | Northwest Metro
Mississippi River
Norin Landing to Babcock Public Water Access
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 Norin Landing and take out at Babcock for the upper split of the Two Paddles MR 20 course. It is a shorter big-river leg that connects cleanly to the existing Babcock-to-Anoka route.
Put-in
Mississippi River, Norin Landing Public Water Access SiteOpen mapNorin Landing is a City of Otsego public water access on Kadler Avenue with a DNR GIS record, but same-day parking and ramp conditions should still be checked before leaving a vehicle.
Take-out
Mississippi River, Babcock Public Water Access SiteOpen mapBabcock is a DNR-listed Mississippi access at the Babcock Highway Rest Area with limited trailer parking and no restroom in the GIS record.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Norin Landing is a City of Otsego public water access on Kadler Avenue with a DNR GIS record, but same-day parking and ramp conditions should still be checked before leaving a vehicle.
- Babcock is a DNR-listed Mississippi access at the Babcock Highway Rest Area with limited trailer parking and no restroom in the GIS record.
- The Hwy 610 gauge is far downstream of this split and below the Coon Rapids Dam corridor. Use it as a conservative mainstem proxy and make a visual call at Norin before launching.
Watch for
- Low-water gravel, exposed rocks, and slow current when the Hwy 610 gauge is in the low band or falling.
- Wind on open bends and slower pools.
- Islands, split channels, bridge approaches, and motorboat wakes.
- Fresh wood, floating debris, and bank snags after storms or rising water.
- Do not commit to the full MR 20 distance unless the group has time, daylight, and a take-out plan for Peninsula Point.
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.
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 Hwy 610 in Brooklyn Park, 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 | 8,670 cfs to 28,300 cfs |
| Low threshold | 3,060 cfs |
| High threshold | 33,000 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 Hwy 610 |
| 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 bands3,060 / 8,670 / 28,300 / 33,000 cfs
MN DNR interprets the Hwy 610 gauge as Scrapable below 3,060 cfs, Low from 3,060 to 8,670, Medium from 8,670 to 28,300, High from 28,300 to 33,000, and Very High above 33,000.
- MR 20 splitNorin to Babcock, then Babcock to Anoka
Two Paddles presents MR 20 as the Norin/Kadler-to-Peninsula Point course. PaddleToday splits it here so the upstream Norin-to-Babcock leg pairs with the existing Babcock-to-Peninsula Point route.
- Official accessNorin WAS02427 to Babcock WAS01299
Minnesota public-water-access GIS identifies Norin Landing at river mile 891.0 and Babcock at river mile 883.4 on the Mississippi State Water Trail.
- Put-in photosUser-provided Norin images
The route gallery uses two user-provided Norin Landing photos showing the rocky launch, shoreline, and open Mississippi channel at the put-in.
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
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Mississippi River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Mississippi River?
Paddle Today watches Mississippi River at Hwy 610 in Brooklyn Park, MN and treats 8,670 cfs to 28,300 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, Norin Landing Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Babcock Public Water Access Site, about About 7.6 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.