North Dakota | Pembina Gorge
Pembina River
Vang Bridge / County 55 to Walhalla Riverside Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Pembina River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
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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 the Vang Bridge / County 55 access and take out at the Walhalla Highway 32 / Riverside Park access corridor for the main Pembina Gorge run. Use the direct USGS Walhalla gauge and American Whitewater range, with conservative caution for boulder gardens, strainers, muddy banks, and fast storm response.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Vang Bridge / County 55 accessPembina County and Walhalla/Rendezvous Region materials identify canoe and kayak access at Vang Bridge, Brickmine Bridge, White Bridge, and Riverside Park, but current dock placement, parking, and carry paths should be verified on arrival.
Take-out
Walhalla Riverside Park / White Bridge accessAmerican Whitewater places the put-in near County 55 / 104th Street NE and describes a roadside carry to a rocky area. Do not block the bridge, road shoulder, field approaches, or private drives.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Pembina County and Walhalla/Rendezvous Region materials identify canoe and kayak access at Vang Bridge, Brickmine Bridge, White Bridge, and Riverside Park, but current dock placement, parking, and carry paths should be verified on arrival.
- American Whitewater places the put-in near County 55 / 104th Street NE and describes a roadside carry to a rocky area. Do not block the bridge, road shoulder, field approaches, or private drives.
- The take-out coordinate is American Whitewater feature data for the County 32 / Walhalla access area; some paddlers continue slightly to Riverside Park. Use current signs and local access boundaries.
- ND Parks says Pembina River paddling is only when water levels allow. Rental operations, park notices, and local river reports may stop before the gauge reaches the absolute low cutoff used here.
- Because American Whitewater is the primary threshold source and the reach includes Class I-II boulder-garden hazards, the route is whitewater-filtered in PaddleTodayV2.
Watch for
- Boulder gardens, small ledges or drops, shallow rocks, and scraping near the 300 cfs low end.
- Strainers, overhanging trees, flood debris, blind bends, steep muddy banks, and limited escape options in parts of the gorge.
- Quicksand-like mud or sand, unstable banks, and private property away from named access points.
- Fast rises after rain, high or pushy water near and above the high runnable range, cold water, thunderstorms, wind, and bridge hazards.
- Missing the intended Walhalla / Riverside Park take-out and drifting into an unplanned downstream reach.
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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Score & sources
Why this score
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 | Pembina River at Walhalla, ND |
| 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 | 600 cfs to 1,400 cfs |
| Low threshold | 300 cfs |
| High threshold | 3,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Pembina gauge ranges |
| 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.
- Public access corridorVang Bridge to Riverside Park
Pembina County and Walhalla/Rendezvous Region materials identify canoe and kayak access docks at Vang Bridge, Brickmine Bridge, White Bridge, and Riverside Park for Pembina River access.
- State paddling context3.5 mi or 10.75 mi paddle
The North Dakota Parks Pembina Gorge map says visitors can kayak or canoe the Pembina River when water levels allow and describes 3.5-mile and 10.75-mile paddle options.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 05099600
USGS Water Services returned current Pembina River at Walhalla values during implementation: 558 cfs and 3.02 ft at 2026-06-12 10:00 CDT.
- Route-specific thresholds300-3,000 cfs runnable range
American Whitewater ties the County 55-to-County 32 reach to the Walhalla gauge, with 300-800 cfs low runnable, 800-1,400 cfs medium runnable, 1,400-3,000 cfs high runnable, and over 3,000 cfs above recommended.
- Endpoint coordinates48.9169, -98.056 to 48.91360599, -97.91712315
American Whitewater feature data places the put-in at County 55 / 104th Street NE near Vang and the take-out near the Walhalla County 32 / Riverside Park access corridor.
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
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Quick answers
Pembina River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Pembina River?
Paddle Today watches Pembina River at Walhalla, ND and treats 600 cfs to 1,400 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Pembina River route start and end?
This route starts at Vang Bridge / County 55 access and ends at Walhalla Riverside Park / White Bridge access, about About 10.75 to 11 mi on the water.
Is this Pembina 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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