See all 9 routes on Red Lake River
Minnesota | Northwest Minnesota
Red Lake River
Highway 1 / Centennial Park to St. Hilaire City Park
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.
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.
Loading today's forecast.
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
Put in at Highway 1 / Centennial Park and take out at St. Hilaire for the upper Red Lake River gap above the existing St. Hilaire-to-Sportsman's card. The Red Lake Falls gauge is current and official, but it is downstream of the route, so local visual checks matter.
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
Red Lake River, Highway 1 Public Water Access SiteMinnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 1 as WAS02414 at river mile 128.6 and St. Hilaire City Park as WAS00808 at river mile 114.8.
Take-out
Red Lake River, St. Hilaire City Park Public Water Access SiteThe nearby Thief River Falls gauge is stale in the current DNR feed; this card uses the downstream Red Lake Falls CR 13 gauge only as an official corridor proxy.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 1 as WAS02414 at river mile 128.6 and St. Hilaire City Park as WAS00808 at river mile 114.8.
- The nearby Thief River Falls gauge is stale in the current DNR feed; this card uses the downstream Red Lake Falls CR 13 gauge only as an official corridor proxy.
- Intermediate farm crossings and private banks should not be treated as exits unless separately confirmed legal and public.
Watch for
- Low-water scraping, bouldery shoals, wood, strainers, and long rural spacing between public accesses.
- Higher or rising water after storms, which can hide wood and increase recovery difficulty.
- Cold water, private banks, and fatigue on a longer day.
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 | Red Lake River nr Red Lake Falls, CR13 |
| 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 |
| Target band | 8.00 ft to 11.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 5.00 ft |
| High threshold | 15.00 ft |
| 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 Red Lake River near Red Lake Falls / County Road 13 |
| 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 route shapeHighway 1 river mile 128.6 to St. Hilaire river mile 114.8
MN DNR Red Lake River Map 2 places the Highway 1 / Centennial Park access and St. Hilaire City Park in sequence on the broader recommended downstream corridor.
- Public access recordsWAS02414 to WAS00808
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves the Highway 1 and St. Hilaire Red Lake River accesses with source-backed coordinates and river-mile records.
- Official DNR bands5 / 8-11 / 15 ft
MN DNR interprets the Red Lake Falls CR 13 gauge as Scrapable below 5 ft, Low from 5 to 8, Medium from 8 to 11, High from 11 to 15, and Very High above 15.
- Current gauge check10.09 ft at 2026-07-17 02:30 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed Red Lake Falls inside the official medium band during this run; the nearer Thief River Falls gauge remained stale to 2026-04-30.
- Route-source contextRed Lake River official water trail
MN DNR describes the Red Lake River as a northwest Minnesota state water trail with flat farmland, wooded banks, steep bluffs, and changing river conditions.
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
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Red Lake River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Red Lake River?
Paddle Today watches Red Lake River nr Red Lake Falls, CR13 and treats 8.00 ft to 11.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Red Lake River route start and end?
This route starts at Red Lake River, Highway 1 Public Water Access Site and ends at Red Lake River, St. Hilaire City Park Public Water Access Site, about About 13.8 mi on the water.
Is this Red Lake 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
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.