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Minnesota | Lower St. Croix
St. Croix River
Minnesota Interstate State Park Landing to Osceola Landing
Check current paddling conditions for this St. Croix 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
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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
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 from the Minnesota Interstate landing in Taylors Falls and finish at Osceola Landing for the cleanest lower St. Croix day-trip add. This is the classic easy gorge-to-bluff run, but lower water pushes you toward the main channel and away from side slough exploring.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Minnesota Interstate State Park landingMinnesota Interstate State Park is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and requires a vehicle permit; same-day ranger-station, kiosk, or traffic conditions still win over any saved note.
Take-out
Osceola LandingOsceola is a high-use Riverway landing with separate motorized and nonmotorized launch flow, paved parking, restrooms, and drinking water, but it can still feel busy on hot weekends.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Minnesota Interstate State Park is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and requires a vehicle permit; same-day ranger-station, kiosk, or traffic conditions still win over any saved note.
- Osceola is a high-use Riverway landing with separate motorized and nonmotorized launch flow, paved parking, restrooms, and drinking water, but it can still feel busy on hot weekends.
Watch for
- Sandbars and side-slough dead ends when flow at St. Croix Falls falls below about 3,000 cfs.
- Strainers, wingdams, rocks, and submerged logs even though the route has no rapids.
- Motorboats, anglers, and wake exposure on the broader lower-river stretches.
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 | St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls, WI |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 3,000 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | NPS lower St. Croix paddling guide low-water main-channel note |
| 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.
- Official trip6.6 miles / 3 to 4 hours / easy
NPS publishes Highway 8 to Osceola Landing, commonly treated as the Taylors Falls to Osceola run, as a ranger-recommended lower St. Croix paddle with easy difficulty and a 3 to 4 hour average pace.
- Low-water floorBelow 3,000 cfs stay in main channel
The NPS lower St. Croix paddling guide says that when flow at St. Croix Falls drops below 3,000 cfs, paddlers should stay in the main channel and avoid the side sloughs.
- Route characterNo rapids, but wood, sandbars, wingdams, rocks, and motorboats
NPS describes this reach as having no existing rapids, but says strainers, submerged logs, sandbars, wingdams, rocks, and shared motorized traffic occur throughout the area.
- Access supportOfficial launch details on both ends
Minnesota DNR says the Interstate landing has a small concrete boat launch plus toilets, picnic tables, drinking water, and a required state-park vehicle permit, while NPS says Osceola has two launches, paved parking, restrooms, and drinking water.
- Osceola operationsSeparated motorized and nonmotorized launch flow
NPS says the 2023 Osceola rehab added a new motorized launch so motorized and nonmotorized traffic could be separated, along with better wayfinding, parking, restrooms, and utilities.
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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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
St. Croix River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling St. Croix River?
Paddle Today watches St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls, WI and uses 3,000 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this St. Croix River route start and end?
This route starts at Minnesota Interstate State Park landing and ends at Osceola Landing, about 6.6 mi on the water.
Is this St. Croix 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.