See all 21 routes on Sauk River
Minnesota | St. Cloud Area
Sauk River
Frogtown Park to Heims Mill
Check current paddling conditions for this Sauk River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
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
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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
Launch at Frogtown Park and finish at Heims Mill for the full lower Sauk route into the Mississippi confluence corridor. This is the additive card to choose when you want to carry the lower river past Eagle and Miller all the way through the final mouth section.
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
Frogtown Park canoe landingFrogtown launches below the Cold Spring dam area, so make sure you are using the signed downstream canoe landing rather than any upstream obstruction-adjacent spot.
Take-out
Heims Mill Canoe AccessHeims Mill is the mapped river-mile 0.0 finish, immediately before the Mississippi confluence. Identify this carry-in access as your take-out before launching and save time and energy for the final 2.5 miles of DNR-mapped Class I-II rapids.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Frogtown launches below the Cold Spring dam area, so make sure you are using the signed downstream canoe landing rather than any upstream obstruction-adjacent spot.
- Heims Mill is the mapped river-mile 0.0 finish, immediately before the Mississippi confluence. Identify this carry-in access as your take-out before launching and save time and energy for the final 2.5 miles of DNR-mapped Class I-II rapids.
- Rockville County Park is the cleanest intentional overnight split because it is the documented watercraft-campsite stop on this corridor.
Watch for
- Longer-day fatigue and changing weather on an otherwise easy river.
- Vegetation, shallow riffles, and slower current when the St. Martin gauge slides toward 14 ft.
- Snags and fallen trees anywhere on the route; the St. Martin gauge does not certify a clear channel.
- Nearly continuous boulder-filled Class I-II rapids and scattered surfing waves in the final 2.5 miles before Heims Mill.
- Private shoreline outside designated public accesses and campsites.
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
Why this score
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 | Sauk River nr St. Martin, CR12 |
| 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 | 15.00 ft to 17.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 14.00 ft |
| High threshold | 20.00 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 Sauk River near St. Martin |
| 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.
- Current level15.01 ft at 8:00 AM
MN DNR listed the St. Martin gauge at 15.01 ft on July 16, 2026, which lands in the official Medium band.
- DNR bands14 / 15 / 17 / 20 ft
MN DNR interprets the St. Martin gauge as Scrapable below 14 ft, Low from 14 to 15, Medium from 15 to 17, High from 17 to 20, and Very High above 20.
- Route shape21.8 river miles
MN DNR Map 2 places Frogtown Park at river mile 21.8 and Heims Mill at river mile 0.0.
- Camping supportMid-route Rockville watercraft campsite
Rockville County Park sits along this corridor and Stearns County documents a watercraft campsite there, which gives this longer lower-Sauk route a defensible overnight split or bailout.
- Access supportOfficial city and county endpoints
Cold Spring says Frogtown Park has a canoe landing on the Sauk, and Stearns County documents Heims Mill as carry-in access to the Sauk and Mississippi rivers.
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.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Sauk River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Sauk River?
Paddle Today watches Sauk River nr St. Martin, CR12 and treats 15.00 ft to 17.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Sauk River route start and end?
This route starts at Frogtown Park canoe landing and ends at Heims Mill Canoe Access, about 21.8 mi on the water.
Is this Sauk River route good 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.