See all 4 routes on Shell Rock River
Minnesota | Southern Minnesota
Shell Rock River
Frank Hall Park to St. Nicholas Landing / Albert Lea Lake
Check current paddling conditions for this Shell Rock River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
Get the answer fast, then scan the route.
Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
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
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
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.
Put-in
Frank Hall Park public accessOpen mapMinnesota 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 accessOpen mapThe 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.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
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.
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
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 |
| Data confidence 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
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
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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.
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
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.