See all 2 routes on Shell Rock River
Minnesota | Southern Minnesota
Shell Rock River
Frank Hall Park to St. Nicholas Landing / Albert Lea Lake
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.
Need to know
Why this call
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.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
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
Use Frank Hall Park and St. Nicholas Landing for the DNR-recommended Albert Lea Lake option on the Shell Rock water trail. This is a lake paddle, so wind and weather can override the gauge score.
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
Frank Hall Park public accessMinnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Frank Hall Park and St. Nicholas Landing with coordinates, launch type, parking, and water-trail metadata.
Take-out
St. Nicholas Landing public accessThe Gordonsville gauge is downstream on the Shell Rock corridor, so treat it as a proxy for water-trail level context rather than a lake-wave forecast.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Frank Hall Park and St. Nicholas Landing with coordinates, launch type, parking, and water-trail metadata.
- The Gordonsville gauge is downstream on the Shell Rock corridor, so treat it as a proxy for water-trail level context rather than a lake-wave forecast.
- Do not continue upstream into the Bridge Avenue Dam portage or downstream past St. Nicholas without separate route planning.
Watch for
- Open-water wind, waves, thunderstorms, cold water, and algae or water-quality concerns on Albert Lea Lake.
- Bridge Avenue Dam upstream of Frank Hall and low-bridge / constructed-rapid hazards downstream of St. Nicholas on the river trail.
- Private shoreline and state-park rules around Myre-Big Island.
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
Data and sources
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 | Shell Rock River nr Gordonsville, CSAH1 |
| 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 | 86.50 ft to 89.50 ft |
| Low threshold | 86.00 ft |
| High threshold | 90.00 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 Shell Rock River near Gordonsville |
| 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.
- DNR recommended lake routeExplore Albert Lea Lake from public trailer accesses
MN DNR recommends put-in/take-out at one of three Albert Lea Lake trailer accesses, including Frank Hall Park and St. Nicholas Landing, with route length varying because it is on the lake only.
- DNR map access sequenceFrank Hall RM 16.8 to St. Nicholas RM 13.6
MN DNR Shell Rock map labels Frank Hall Park with trailer access, rest area, fishing pier, and toilet, Myre-Big Island State Park with camping and amenities, and St. Nicholas Landing trailer access.
- Public access recordsFrank Hall WAS01395; St. Nicholas WAS01392
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves both Albert Lea Lake access sites with coordinates, administrators, launch type, parking, and river-mile metadata.
- Official DNR bands86 / 86.5-89.5 / 90 ft
MN DNR interprets Gordonsville as Scrapable below 86 ft, Low from 86 to 86.5, Medium from 86.5 to 89.5, High from 89.5 to 90, and Very High above 90.
- Current gauge check86.94 ft at 2026-07-23 12:00 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed Gordonsville inside the official medium band during this run.
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.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Shell Rock River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Shell Rock River?
Paddle Today watches Shell Rock River nr Gordonsville, CSAH1 and treats 86.50 ft to 89.50 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Shell Rock River route start and end?
This route starts at Frank Hall Park public access and ends at St. Nicholas Landing public access, about About 3.2 lake mi on the water.
Is this Shell Rock 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.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.