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See all 9 routes on Red Lake River

Minnesota | Northwest Minnesota

Red Lake River

St. Hilaire City Park to Sportsman's Park

Check current paddling conditions for this Red Lake River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

Route location

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Open access map
DistanceAbout 21.8 mi
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 7 hr to 10 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
An aerial view shows the Red Lake River making several broad bends through Crookston, Minnesota.
River contextRed Lake River at the Crookston start of the route river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tom Crump / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Wikimedia Commons

Need to know

Why this call
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Conditions

Gauge history and hourly forecast

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Gauge detail

Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

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Weather

Hourly forecast

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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

On-water distanceAbout 21.8 miSt. Hilaire City Park to Sportsman's Park
DifficultymoderateDNR Map 2 marks intermittent Class I-II rapids from below St. Hilaire toward Crookston and high tuber frequency above Red Lake Falls. The route is long enough that wood, low water, rescue spacing, and fatigue matter.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage Sportsman's Park in Red Lake Falls first, then drive upstream to St. Hilaire City Park. This is a long rural shuttle and should be shortened or postponed if the group cannot launch early.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Follow Minnesota boating/PFD rules plus posted St. Hilaire, Red Lake Falls, access, campground, and parking rules.
CampingOptions nearbyDNR Map 2 maps camping/rest-area support at St. Hilaire and campsites/drinking water at Sportsman's Park. Treat this as endpoint campground support, not permission to camp on private riverbanks.
SeasonApr-OctSpring through fall is practical when the Red Lake Falls gauge is in range. Low water exposes boulder-field scraping, while high water can turn normally manageable rapids and tuber traffic zones into a more consequential day.

Plan ahead

Upcoming outlook

These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.

TomorrowChecking

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WeekendChecking

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Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

Put in at St. Hilaire City Park and take out at Sportsman's Park for the missing Red Lake River connector between the existing Highway-1-to-St.-Hilaire and Sportsman's-to-Huot cards. The Red Lake Falls gauge is current and in the official medium band.

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Pick a shorter segment

This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.

On-water distanceAbout 21.8 miLake to creek
On-water timeAbout 5 to 7 hrFull route option
ShuttleSelf-shuttleChoose a shorter in/out pair for a shorter day.

Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.

Prepare this trip

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Start

Put-in

Red Lake River, St. Hilaire City Park Public Water Access Site
Open map

St. Hilaire City Park resolves as WAS00808 at river mile 114.8 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.

Finish

Take-out

Red Lake River, Sportsman's Park / Red Lake Falls trailer access
Open map

The Sportsman's Park access is represented in public-water-access GIS by the Clearwater River / Sportsman Park record at the confluence area; DNR Map 2 names it as the Red Lake River trailer access at river mile 93.0.

Plan this segment

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • St. Hilaire City Park resolves as WAS00808 at river mile 114.8 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
  • The Sportsman's Park access is represented in public-water-access GIS by the Clearwater River / Sportsman Park record at the confluence area; DNR Map 2 names it as the Red Lake River trailer access at river mile 93.0.
  • The CR 13 gauge is near the lower end of the route. Make a visual check at St. Hilaire before committing the upstream miles to that reading.

Watch for

  • Intermittent Class I-II rapids, boulder fields, riffles, low-water scraping, and strainers between St. Hilaire and Red Lake Falls.
  • High tuber frequency around river miles 96.5 to 93.9 near Red Lake Falls in season.
  • Long mileage, private banks, cold water, limited exits, and faster current after rain.

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.

An aerial view shows the Red Lake River making several broad bends through Crookston, Minnesota.
Red Lake River at the Crookston start of the route river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tom Crump / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons: public domain

Score & sources

Why this score

See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge inputChecking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather inputChecking

Waiting on weather.

Next stepChecking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

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.

Why
  • Checking evidence-strength notes.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge siteRed Lake River nr Red Lake Falls, CR13
Gauge heightChecking
DischargeChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Target band8.00 ft to 11.00 ft
Low threshold5.00 ft
High threshold15.00 ft
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial data source
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreMN DNR river-level interpretation bands for Red Lake River near Red Lake Falls / County Road 13
Gauge sourceChecking
Weather sourceChecking
Rainfall sourceChecking
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 shapeSt. Hilaire RM 114.8 to Sportsman's Park RM 93.0

    MN DNR Red Lake River Map 2 places St. Hilaire City Park and Sportsman's Park in sequence, with the CR 13 river-level gauge just upstream of the take-out.

    Source

  • Public access recordsWAS00808 to WAS01943

    Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves St. Hilaire City Park and the Sportsman Park / Clearwater River confluence access with source-backed coordinates; DNR Map 2 identifies Sportsman's Park as the Red Lake River trailer access.

    Source

  • Official DNR bands5 / 8-11 / 15 ft

    MN DNR interprets Red Lake Falls CR 13 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.

    Source

  • Current gauge check9.97 ft at 2026-07-22 15:30 CDT

    The current MN DNR feed placed Red Lake Falls inside the official medium band during this run.

    Source

  • Safety contextClass I-II rapids and tuber zone

    DNR Map 2 notes intermittent Class I-II rapids below St. Hilaire and high tuber frequency near Red Lake Falls before Sportsman's Park.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

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Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

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Nearby routes by distance

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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, St. Hilaire City Park Public Water Access Site and ends at Red Lake River, Sportsman's Park / Red Lake Falls trailer access, about About 21.8 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.

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