See all 8 routes on St. Louis River
Minnesota | Duluth Area
St. Louis River
Toivola to County Road 29
Check current paddling conditions for this St. Louis 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
Launch at Toivola and take out at County Road 29 for a long St. Louis Map 1/2 connector. The Floodwood gauge is downstream and below the official scrapable floor during this run, so make visual depth checks before committing.
Put-in
St. Louis River, Toivola Public Water Access SiteOpen mapMinnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Toivola as WAS00615 at river mile 94.2 and County Road 29 as WAS02129 at river mile 78.5.
Take-out
St. Louis River, Co Rd 29 Public Water Access SiteOpen mapThe Floodwood gauge is downstream of the take-out. Treat it as a same-corridor proxy and check local depth at Toivola and County Road 29 before launching.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Toivola as WAS00615 at river mile 94.2 and County Road 29 as WAS02129 at river mile 78.5.
- The Floodwood gauge is downstream of the take-out. Treat it as a same-corridor proxy and check local depth at Toivola and County Road 29 before launching.
- County Road 29 is the planned finish. Do not continue toward Floodwood without a separate shuttle, daylight, and low/high-water plan.
Watch for
- Low-water dragging and exposed rocks when the Floodwood gauge is below the official 24.4 ft scrapable floor.
- Cold water, fresh wood, strainers, remote banks, and limited road access between bridges.
- Private shoreland away from DNR accesses and designated/legal public campsites.
Route gallery
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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 | St. Louis River at Floodwood, CSAH8 |
| 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 | 28.00 ft to 37.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 24.40 ft |
| High threshold | 42.00 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 St. Louis River at Floodwood |
| 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.
- Map sequenceToivola RM 94.2 to County Road 29 RM 78.5
MN DNR St. Louis Map 1 places Toivola and the upper campsite context; Map 2 continues the sequence to County Road 29 and the Floodwood corridor.
- Public access recordsWAS00615 to WAS02129
Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Toivola and County Road 29 as DNR-administered St. Louis River access sites with river miles and coordinates.
- Official DNR bands24.4 / 28-37 / 42 ft
MN DNR interprets the Floodwood gauge as Scrapable below 24.4 ft, Low from 24.4 to 28, Medium from 28 to 37, High from 37 to 42, and Very High above 42.
- Current gauge check23.26 ft at 2026-07-22 10:45 PM
The current MN DNR feed placed Floodwood below the official scrapable floor during this run, so this route should score as too low today.
- Camping postureMapped watercraft campsite
DNR Map 1 marks a watercraft campsite near river mile 90.8 between Toivola and County Road 29; use only designated or otherwise legal public-land sites.
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.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
St. Louis River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling St. Louis River?
Paddle Today watches St. Louis River at Floodwood, CSAH8 and treats 28.00 ft to 37.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this St. Louis River route start and end?
This route starts at St. Louis River, Toivola Public Water Access Site and ends at St. Louis River, Co Rd 29 Public Water Access Site, about About 15.7 mi on the water.
Is this St. Louis River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.