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See all 21 routes on Sauk River

Minnesota | Central Minnesota

Sauk River

Richmond City Park to Horseshoe Lake

Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.

Route location

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Open access map
DistanceAbout 1.6 mi
DifficultyEasy
Typical timeAbout 45 min to 1.5 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
The Sauk River winds through a wooded winter corridor with ice along the banks and bright clouds overhead.
River contextSauk River near Sartell river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons

Need to know

Why this call
This route is documented for planning, but does not receive a Paddle Today score.
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Conditions

Gauge history and hourly forecast

Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.

Gauge detail

Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

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Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

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Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
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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 1.6 miRichmond City Park to Horseshoe Lake
DifficultyeasyThe mileage is short and the route is mostly lake-chain paddling, but wind, boat traffic, bridge approaches, weeds, and the need to stay out of downstream dam plans still require normal judgment.
ShuttleCar shuttleUse a short Chain of Lakes shuttle between Horseshoe Lake and Richmond City Park. Check wind and boat traffic before leaving the take-out vehicle.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Use the named public accesses, follow Minnesota boating/PFD rules, and obey posted city, lake, and DNR public-access rules.
CampingDay tripNo on-route campsite is assumed for this short Richmond-to-Horseshoe connector. Use separate local campground or lodging plans if needed.
SeasonMay-OctThis Chain of Lakes section can paddle well in open-water season, but low summer readings slow channels and high/rising water or wind can make bridge and lake crossings more awkward.

Plan ahead

Upcoming outlook

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

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 Richmond City Park and finish at Horseshoe Lake for the short upstream Chain of Lakes connector. It links cleanly into the existing Horseshoe-to-Lions-Park card without duplicating the downstream dam-boundary route.

DirectionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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.

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Start

Put-in

Sauk River, Richmond Public Water Access Site
Open map

Richmond resolves as WAS00328 at river mile 31.5 and Horseshoe Lake resolves as WAS01770 at river mile 29.9 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.

Finish

Take-out

Horseshoe Lake Public Water Access Site
Open map

The St. Martin gauge is upstream of the route, so make a local visual check for channel depth, weeds, and bridge clearance.

Plan this segment

Skip map

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

End of map
Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Richmond resolves as WAS00328 at river mile 31.5 and Horseshoe Lake resolves as WAS01770 at river mile 29.9 in Minnesota public-water-access GIS.
  • The St. Martin gauge is upstream of the route, so make a local visual check for channel depth, weeds, and bridge clearance.
  • This route ends at Horseshoe Lake. DNR Map 2 places Lions Park at river mile 22.3 and Cold Spring Dam at river mile 22.0, so stage the separate Lions Park take-out before any downstream continuation.

Watch for

  • Wind and boat traffic on the Chain of Lakes.
  • Low-water channels, weeds, bridge approaches, cold water, and private shoreline.
  • Cold Spring Dam 7.9 river miles below Horseshoe Lake if the group decides to continue beyond this route.

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.

The Sauk River winds through a wooded winter corridor with ice along the banks and bright clouds overhead.
Sauk River near Sartell river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 2.0

Score & sources

Data and sources

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 siteSauk River nr St. Martin, CR12
Gauge heightChecking
DischargeChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Target band15.00 ft to 17.00 ft
Low threshold14.00 ft
High threshold20.00 ft
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial data source
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreMN DNR river-level interpretation bands for Sauk River near St. Martin
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 map routeRichmond RM 31.5 to Horseshoe Lake RM 29.9

    MN DNR Sauk Map 2 places Richmond City Park, bridge crossings, Horseshoe Lake, and the downstream Chain of Lakes accesses in order.

    Source

  • Public access recordsWAS00328 to WAS01770

    Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Richmond and Horseshoe Lake as public access sites with coordinates and water-trail river miles.

    Source

  • Official DNR bands14 / 15-17 / 20 ft

    MN DNR interprets St. Martin 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.

    Source

  • Current gauge check14.71 ft at 2026-07-23 16:00 CDT

    The current MN DNR feed placed St. Martin in the official low band during this run.

    Source

  • Safety contextChain of Lakes, dams, snags, and downstream rapids

    DNR describes the Chain of Lakes near Richmond and warns that Sauk River hazards include dams, rapids, portage routes, and snags.

    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

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Photos

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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.

More in Minnesota

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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 Sauk River, Richmond Public Water Access Site and ends at Horseshoe Lake Public Water Access Site, about About 1.6 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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