See all 7 routes on North Fork Crow River
Minnesota | Central Minnesota
North Fork Crow River
Forest City to Kingston
Check current paddling conditions for this North Fork Crow 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 Forest City and take out at Kingston for the DNR-recommended 12-mile upper North Fork Crow section. Use the Highway 22 gauge as a conservative floor, then make local visual checks for wood, low bridges, and depth.
Put-in
North Fork Crow River, Forest City Public Water Access SiteOpen mapForest City resolves as WAS02367 at river mile 106.2 and Kingston resolves as WAS00687 at river mile 94.2 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
Take-out
North Fork Crow River, Kingston Public Water Access SiteOpen mapThe selected gauge is upstream of the route and has no separate DNR very-high cutoff, so avoid high or rising water even if the card can only model a low-water floor.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Forest City resolves as WAS02367 at river mile 106.2 and Kingston resolves as WAS00687 at river mile 94.2 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
- The selected gauge is upstream of the route and has no separate DNR very-high cutoff, so avoid high or rising water even if the card can only model a low-water floor.
- Use only named public accesses or confirmed public land for stops.
Watch for
- Easy rapids, shallow gravel, underwater branches, overhanging trees, and low bridge clearance.
- Fallen trees, possible farm fences, private banks, cold water, and fresh obstruction after storms.
- Low water when the Highway 22 gauge drops below the official 80.5 ft floor.
Route gallery
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Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
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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 | North Fork Crow River nr Manannah, MN22 |
| 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 80.50 ft |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| 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 North Fork Crow River near Manannah / Highway 22 |
| 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 recommended routeForest City to Kingston, 12.0 mi
MN DNR recommended one-way sections list this North Fork Crow access pair and mileage.
- Public access recordsForest City WAS02367 to Kingston WAS00687
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves both endpoints with official names, coordinates, and river-mile context.
- Official DNR bands80.5 ft low floor; 80.5-82 ft medium
MN DNR interprets the Highway 22 gauge as Low below 80.5 ft, Medium from 80.5 to 82 ft, and High above 82 ft. The current feed does not publish a separate very-high cutoff.
- Current gauge check80.78 ft at 2026-07-23 14:30 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed Highway 22 in the official medium band during this run.
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
North Fork Crow River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling North Fork Crow River?
Paddle Today watches North Fork Crow River nr Manannah, MN22 and uses 80.50 ft as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this North Fork Crow River route start and end?
This route starts at North Fork Crow River, Forest City Public Water Access Site and ends at North Fork Crow River, Kingston Public Water Access Site, about About 12.0 mi on the water.
Is this North Fork Crow 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.