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Minnesota | Mississippi Headwaters
Mississippi River
Wold's Ferry Crossing to Palisade
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
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.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
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
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Wold's Ferry and take out at Palisade to fill the upstream gap inside the official Wold's-to-Aitkin Map 4 corridor. Aitkin was below the DNR scrapable floor during this run.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Mississippi River, Wold's Ferry Crossing Public Water Access SiteWold's Ferry and Palisade are both DNR/public-access-backed endpoints already used by adjacent current route cards.
Take-out
Mississippi River, Palisade Public Water Access SiteThe Aitkin gauge is downstream of the selected split, so inspect depth, mud, and wood at Wold's Ferry before committing.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Wold's Ferry and Palisade are both DNR/public-access-backed endpoints already used by adjacent current route cards.
- The Aitkin gauge is downstream of the selected split, so inspect depth, mud, and wood at Wold's Ferry before committing.
- Do not extend toward Aitkin's diversion-channel and dam context unless the downstream Aitkin route is separately planned.
Watch for
- Low-water riffles, shallow bars, snags, downed trees, and dead-end side channels.
- Private banks, limited bailouts, cold water, and wind on wider bends.
- Storm debris or high/rising water that can make the proxy gauge less representative.
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.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
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.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Mississippi River at Aitkin, 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 | 1,500 cfs to 6,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 712 cfs |
| High threshold | 8,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength 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 Aitkin |
| 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.
- Recommended corridorWold's Ferry to Aitkin Campground, 40.3 miles
MN DNR recommended-one-way materials list Wold's Ferry Crossing to Aitkin Campground as the Map 4 Mississippi section; this card fills the upstream public-access gap to Palisade.
- Map supportWold's Ferry RM 1096.0 to Palisade RM 1086.4
MN DNR Map 4 places Wold's Ferry, Big Sandy River confluence context, Palisade, Waldeck, Kimball, and Aitkin in downstream order.
- Public access recordsWold's Ferry WAS02563 and Palisade WAS01038
Existing DNR/public-access-backed route details in the current app resolve Wold's Ferry and Palisade with coordinates, public-access IDs, and river-mile context.
- Official DNR bands712.3 / 1,500-6,000 / 8,000 cfs
MN DNR interprets the Aitkin gauge as Scrapable below 712.3 cfs, Low from 712.3 to 1,500, Medium from 1,500 to 6,000, High from 6,000 to 8,000, and Very High above 8,000.
- Current gauge check638 cfs at 2026-07-23 19:30 CDT
The official DNR feed placed Aitkin below the scrapable floor during this run, so this card should score too low until flows 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
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
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 Aitkin, MN and treats 1,500 cfs to 6,000 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, Wold's Ferry Crossing Public Water Access Site and ends at Mississippi River, Palisade Public Water Access Site, about 9.6 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.