Paddle TodayFind the best paddle near you today

Live score, water level, and weather.

See all 5 routes on Red River of the North

Minnesota | Red River Valley

Red River of the NorthLincoln Drive Park Landing to Downtown Landing

Short Grand Forks Red River water-trail connector from Lincoln Drive Park's public boat ramp to Downtown Landing, passing the Red Lake River confluence and using the direct Grand Forks DNR gauge.

Route location

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Open access map

Plan this route

Distance2.5 mi
DifficultyEasy
Typical timeAbout 45 min to 2 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
The Red River of the North curves through an urban winter landscape.
Route photoRed River of the North urban-river context; photographed in FargoPhoto by Jpkotta via Wikimedia Commons

Need to know

Why this call
Pulling the latest gauge and weather. This usually takes a few seconds.
View Primary Source
Embed this route

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Route overview

Trip details

Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.

Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
On-water distance2.5 miLincoln Drive Park Landing to Downtown Landing
DifficultyeasyDNR frames this as a quick two-mile trip between developed park landings, but muddy banks, snags, bridge approaches, urban water quality, and the border-river setting keep it in a caution posture.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage Downtown Landing / Boathouse on the Red first, then return to Lincoln Drive Park Landing. Inspect both landings and the Grand Forks gauge before putting on.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Follow Minnesota and North Dakota boating/PFD rules plus posted Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, Greenway, and launch rules.
CampingOptions nearbyTreat this as a day route. Red River State Recreation Area and nearby campgrounds can support a separate basecamp plan, but this two-mile card does not assume an on-route overnight.
SeasonMay-OctSpring through fall is the practical season, with flood-stage and low-water checks controlling the go/no-go decision. DNR warns that low Red River levels may not be suitable for paddling and that floods can happen well outside spring.

Plan ahead

Tomorrow and the weekend

Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

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

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

Launch at Lincoln Drive Park, pass the Red Lake River confluence and LaFave Park, and finish at Downtown Landing for the DNR Map 4 Grand Forks connector.

Access map

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Start

Put-in

Lincoln Drive Park Landing
Open mapDirections to put-in

Lincoln Drive Park Landing is DNR-mapped and independently resolved in the North Dakota Game and Fish fishing-facilities layer as an active Grand Forks Park District concrete ramp; its route coordinate marks the water-side end of that ramp.

Finish

Take-out

Downtown Landing / Boathouse on the Red
Open mapDirections to take-out

LaFave Park resolves in Minnesota public-water-access GIS as WAS00545 and is the selected downstream finish.

Road shuttle

Driving shuttle routeShuttle in Apple MapsOpenStreetMap
Access notes and hazards

Access caveats

  • Lincoln Drive Park Landing is DNR-mapped and independently resolved in the North Dakota Game and Fish fishing-facilities layer as an active Grand Forks Park District concrete ramp; its route coordinate marks the water-side end of that ramp.
  • LaFave Park resolves in Minnesota public-water-access GIS as WAS00545 and is the selected downstream finish.
  • Do not substitute steep Greenway banks or private edges for the planned take-out, especially when the Red is high, muddy, or recently flooded.

Watch for

  • Snags, flood debris, muddy bank footing, poor underwater visibility, bridge current, and fast rises after rain.
  • Urban water quality after storms and colder-than-expected big-river water in shoulder seasons.
  • Border-river rules and the need to keep the short route from turning into an unplanned downstream extension.

Plan this paddle

Choose your trip times

No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.

Trip schedule

Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.

Browser plans

Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.

Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.

Conditions

Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast

Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.

Gauge detail

Water-level history and forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------

Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

Route gallery

Photos

Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.

The Red River of the North curves through an urban winter landscape.
Red River of the North urban-river context; photographed in FargoPhoto by Jpkotta via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 3.0

Score & sources

Why this score

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

Data status
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 scoreData reliability: checking

This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.

Why
  • Checking data sources and update times.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times

These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.

Gauge siteRed River of the North at Grand Forks, ND
DischargeChecking
Gauge heightChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Preferred range881 cfs to 12,000 cfs
Low threshold320 cfs
High threshold16,200 cfs
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial data source
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreMN DNR river-level interpretation bands for Red River of the North at Grand Forks
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 DNR routeLincoln Drive Park RM 304.1 to Downtown Landing RM 301.6, 2.5 mi

    MN DNR Map 4 defines the full Lincoln-to-Downtown connector through the Grand Forks / East Grand Forks corridor.

    Source

  • Map 4 access contextLincoln Drive trailer access to Downtown carry-in

    MN DNR Red River Map 4 identifies both landings and places the Red Lake River confluence and LaFave Park between them.

    Source

  • Official Lincoln ramp inventoryNDGF Fishing Facilities ObjectID 1427

    North Dakota Game and Fish identifies an active, usable, Grand Forks Park District poured-concrete Red River ramp in the Lincoln Park/South Forks area; current aerial imagery resolves the water-side end of that same ramp.

    Source

  • Public access recordLaFave Park WAS00545

    Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves LaFave Park with source-backed coordinates and public access attributes.

    Source

  • Official DNR bands320 / 881-12,000 / 16,200 cfs

    MN DNR interprets Grand Forks as Scrapable below 320 cfs, Low from 320 to 881, Medium from 881 to 12,000, High from 12,000 to 16,200, and Very High above 16,200.

    Source

  • Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-231,340 cfs at 2026-07-23 01:45 CDT

    This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.

    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

Paddler reports

See recent photos and notes from people on the route.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.

More in Minnesota

All 231 routes
Minnesota route guideBrowse every tracked Minnesota route.Red River ValleyJump to routes in this region.

More on Red River of the North

All 5
Golden Grain to HilltopNorthwest MinnesotaEasy · About 9 miHighway 25 / Hendrum to Halstad LandingNorthwest MinnesotaEasy · About 11.2 miKidder Recreation Area to Brushvale Bridge Recreation AreaRed River ValleyModerate · 10.4 miLindenwood Park to M.B. Johnson ParkRed River ValleyModerate · 9.3 mi

Nearby routes within 75 miles

Red Lake RiverFisher Landing to Red River Recreation Area · about 12 straight-line mi awayModerate · About 27.6 miRed Lake RiverHighway 75 Bypass to Fisher Landing · about 20 straight-line mi awayModerate · About 23.1 miRed Lake RiverCrookston carry-in to Highway 75 Bypass · about 24 straight-line mi awayHard · About 8.1 miRed Lake RiverCrookston carry-in to Fisher Landing · about 24 straight-line mi awayHard · About 31.2 mi

Quick answers

Red River of the North paddling FAQ

What water level is best for the Lincoln Drive Park Landing to Downtown Landing route on the Red River of the North?

Paddle Today watches Red River of the North at Grand Forks, ND and treats 881 cfs to 12,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does the Lincoln Drive Park Landing to Downtown Landing route on the Red River of the North start and end?

This route starts at Lincoln Drive Park Landing and ends at Downtown Landing / Boathouse on the Red, 2.5 mi on the water.

Is the Lincoln Drive Park Landing to Downtown Landing route on the Red River of the North suitable for beginners?

This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a changeEmail update