Minnesota | Central Minnesota

Crow Wing River

Little White Dog to Cottingham County Park

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Today

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Today's conditions

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Quick facts

On-water distance 9.8 river mi Little White Dog to Cottingham County Park

Difficulty easy Generally beginner-friendly river character with twists, small islands, and occasional wood. Treat high water and cold shoulder-season days with more caution than the easy label suggests.

Shuttle Car shuttle Standard Wadena County self-shuttle. Confirm the Cottingham parking and camping setup before leaving a vehicle, especially if you are pairing the paddle with an overnight.

Permits None noted No special paddling permit is known for this Minnesota DNR water-trail route. County campground fees or rules may apply if you camp.

Camping Options nearby MN DNR identifies primitive camping/rest-area context at both Little White Dog and Cottingham. Confirm current Wadena County rules, fees, and seasonal availability before planning an overnight.

Season May-Sep Late spring through early fall is the useful window. The Crow Wing is usually canoeable, but low late-summer water can still expose sandbars and make the day slower.

Plan

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Access plan

Access, shuttle, and map

Launch at Little White Dog and finish at Cottingham County Park for the DNR-recommended Crow Wing day trip. The river character is friendly, but use the Nimrod gauge to avoid a scrape-heavy or high-water day.

Directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap

Start

Put-in

Little White Dog County Park #9 carry-in access Open map

Both endpoints are named by MN DNR and backed by Wadena County campground/access pages, but saved coordinates should still defer to on-site signage.

Finish

Take-out

Cottingham County Park #11 carry-in access Open map

Cottingham and Little White Dog are county campground/access sites, so parking, camping, fees, and seasonal details should be checked before the shuttle.

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Access caveats

Both endpoints are named by MN DNR and backed by Wadena County campground/access pages, but saved coordinates should still defer to on-site signage.
Cottingham and Little White Dog are county campground/access sites, so parking, camping, fees, and seasonal details should be checked before the shuttle.

Watch for

Exposed sandbars and slower travel when the Nimrod gauge falls below the medium band.
Fresh wood, strainers, and debris after high water.
Tubing traffic on popular summer weekends in the lower part of the route.

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Sources

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Why this score Today'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.

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Outlook Tomorrow and weekend

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Data behind the score Gauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge site	Crow Wing River at Nimrod, MN
Discharge	Checking
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Target band	400 cfs to 800 cfs
Low threshold	300 cfs
High threshold	1,100 cfs
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 Crow Wing River at Nimrod
Gauge source	Checking
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Notes What 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 bands 300 / 400-800 / 1,100 cfs

MN DNR interprets Nimrod as Scrapable below 300 cfs, Low from 300 to 400, Medium from 400 to 800, High from 800 to 1,100, and Very High above 1,100.

Source
Recommended trip 9.8 miles

MN DNR recommends Little White Dog carry-in access to Cottingham County Park carry-in access as the Map 2 day trip.

Source
Access support Named public county accesses

The DNR map names Little White Dog #9 and Cottingham #11 as carry-in accesses, while Wadena County confirms Little White Dog is county-owned and Cottingham is a popular landing for tubes and canoes.

Source

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Quick answers

Crow Wing River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Crow Wing River?

Paddle Today watches Crow Wing River at Nimrod, MN and treats 400 cfs to 800 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this Crow Wing River route start and end?

This route starts at Little White Dog County Park #9 carry-in access and ends at Cottingham County Park #11 carry-in access, about 9.8 river mi on the water.

Is this Crow Wing 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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