See all 8 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 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
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.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Put-in
Red Lake River, St. Hilaire City Park Public Water Access SiteOpen mapSt. Hilaire City Park resolves as WAS00808 at river mile 114.8 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
Take-out
Red Lake River, Sportsman's Park / Red Lake Falls trailer accessOpen mapThe 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.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
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
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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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Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
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 | 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 |
| 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 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
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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, 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.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.