See all 5 routes on Root River
Minnesota | Southeast Minnesota
Root RiverRushford to Houston
Longer Driftless day with mostly gentle current, wooded banks, and one main decision first: is the Houston gauge comfortably above late-low-water conditions without recent rain turning easy miles into a debris check?
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at the Rushford carry-in and finish at the Houston carry-in near the Houston Nature Center. The route is friendly at workable flow, but it is long enough that low-water slowdowns and fresh wood can change the day substantially.
Access map
Put-in
Root River, Rushford Public Water Access SiteThe DNR public-water-access record places the Rushford landing 0.5 miles west of town on Highway 16, then 0.5 miles south on a gravel access road. Do not treat the Historic Depot as the launch coordinate.
Take-out
Root River, Houston Public Water Access SiteThe DNR public-water-access record places the Houston landing on the north side of Houston off State Highway 76. The Houston Nature Center is nearby trailhead and camping support, but it is not the access coordinate itself.
Road shuttle
Two-car shuttle is simplest. A bike shuttle on the Root River State Trail is realistic if your group wants it, with the official public accesses near the Rushford and Houston trail-town facilities.
Additional access notes
- Confirm local parking and event conditions before leaving a shuttle vehicle, and expect a carry-in launch rather than a trailer ramp at both endpoints.
More route and safety guidance
- Inspect for fresh sweepers, strainers, or storm debris before committing to this long reach.
- The mileage creates fatigue and cold-water exposure; confirm the shuttle and legal public landings before launch.
Plan this paddle
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Conditions
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Recent trend
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Gauge source
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Weather
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Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
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Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Root River near Houston, MN. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
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Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
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.
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Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Root River near Houston, MN |
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| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 300 cfs |
| High threshold | Water-level guidance unavailable |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Partial source data |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Conservative low-water floor from Root River near Houston official gauge context |
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NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route context15.1 river miles
MN DNR recommends Rushford to Houston as a full-day Root River trip, with Rushford carry-in access at river mile 33.8 and Houston carry-in access at river mile 18.7.
- Access supportRushford carry-in to Houston carry-in
The Root River Map 2 PDF names both water-trail endpoints. Minnesota's public-water-access record identifies Rushford as WAS00264 and Houston as WAS02188, with the Rushford site reached from Highway 16 and the Houston site on State Highway 76.
- Access coordinatesWAS00264 / WAS02188
The official public-water-access layer places Rushford at 43.803006, -91.760355 and Houston at 43.769008, -91.571222. These are the arrival coordinates used by the route.
- Trailhead amenitiesParking, restrooms, campground support
The official Guide to Trail Towns says both Rushford and Houston offer canoe launch access plus parking and public restrooms, with campground support in each town.
- Route characterGentle to moderate flow
MN DNR describes this stretch as having gentle to moderate flow, with flat water greeting paddlers along much of the route, while noting that water level can vary substantially with rainfall.
- Official low-flow contextQ90 = 270 cfs at Houston
MN DNR drought guidance uses 270 cfs at the Root River near Houston as the annual Q90 low-flow benchmark for the watershed. That is not a paddling threshold, but it does support keeping the app low-water floor conservative and close to the obvious low-flow zone.
- Conservative low-water floor300 cfs
This is a cautious app floor, not a published paddling threshold. It is intentionally set just above obvious late-low-water conditions because the Houston gauge has route support but no official numeric paddling ladder.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- MN DNR Root River overview
- MN DNR Root River segments and maps
- MN DNR Root River Map 2 PDF
- MN DNR Root River and Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail map
- MN DNR Guide to Trail Towns PDF
- Rushford Peterson Valley visitor info
- Houston Nature Center
- Houston Nature Center Root River Trail access
- MN DNR drought low-flow Q90 guidance PDF
- USGS 05385000 monitoring location
Other routes nearby
More on Root River
All 5Nearby routes within 75 miles
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