North Dakota | North Dakota Badlands

Little Missouri River

Rough Rider State Park to Medora Bridge

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Today

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Today's conditions

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Quick facts

On-water distance About 3 mi Rough Rider State Park to Medora Bridge

Difficulty moderate This is a short three-mile reach, but it is still a remote Badlands river decision with shallow dragging below the NPS floor, fast-changing thunderstorms, cold spring water, fences, debris, mud, limited services, and no drinking water except at nearby developed locations.

Shuttle Car shuttle Stage the Medora Bridge take-out before driving south to Rough Rider State Park. Confirm current park access, bridge-area parking, and the exact exit path before launching because the take-out coordinate is a practical USGS bridge/gauge anchor rather than a signed ramp point.

Permits None noted No route-specific private paddling permit is known for this short day reach. Pay any required state-park entrance fee, follow North Dakota boating and PFD rules, obey NPS/ND Parks notices, and skip the run when the Medora gauge is below the NPS fair-boating floor or rising quickly.

Camping Options nearby Treat this as a short daylight Badlands float. Do not camp or stop on private banks unless the site is clearly public and open; NPS says camping on private land adjacent to the Little Missouri is prohibited by most landowners.

Season Apr-Jun NPS says Little Missouri river ice usually breaks up by early April, May and June are usually best, and some years the river is not deep enough for float trips or sections may dry up. Thunderstorms can raise the river rapidly and create debris hazards.

Plan

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Access plan

Access, shuttle, and map

Launch from the Rough Rider / former Sully Creek State Park Little Missouri access and take out at the Medora Bridge corridor for the short NPS-listed three-mile reach. Use USGS 06336000 at Medora and the NPS 2.5 ft / 699 cfs fair-boating floor, with high-water decisions kept conservative.

Directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap

Start

Put-in

Rough Rider State Park canoe/kayak access Open map

NPS names Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River segment, and ND Parks identifies Rough Rider State Park as having canoe/kayak access on the Little Missouri.

Finish

Take-out

Medora Bridge / USGS gauge access anchor Open map

Rough Rider was formerly Sully Creek State Park; current state-park signs and the ND Parks map should control the actual launch path.

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Access caveats

NPS names Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River segment, and ND Parks identifies Rough Rider State Park as having canoe/kayak access on the Little Missouri.
Rough Rider was formerly Sully Creek State Park; current state-park signs and the ND Parks map should control the actual launch path.
The Medora take-out coordinate is the official USGS Little Missouri at Medora bridge/gauge coordinate used as a practical Medora Bridge anchor, not a surveyed public ramp coordinate.
This route uses an official minimum-only threshold. NPS publishes a fair-boating floor and good band at Medora, but Paddle Today does not infer a full high-water recommendation.
Check same-day NPS, ND Parks, weather, flood, road, bridge, and debris conditions before staging vehicles or launching.

Watch for

Medora gauge readings below 2.5 ft / 699 cfs, when NPS says the river is below the fair-boating floor and dragging or impassable shallows are likely.
Fast rises after summer thunderstorms, which NPS says can turn the Little Missouri into a debris-carrying torrent.
Fences across the river, logs, flood debris, mud, cold water, rattlesnakes on banks, limited cell service, and delayed emergency response.
Private land along the river corridor; avoid unplanned stops unless necessary for safety or clearly allowed at a public site.
Bridge-area traffic, uncertain take-out footing, wind, shallow bars, and missing the planned Medora Bridge exit.

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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	Little Missouri River at Medora, ND
Discharge	Checking
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Ideal range	Needs paddler reports
Known low-water floor	699 cfs
High threshold	Not calibrated yet
Data confidence behind the range	Official data source
Gauge observed	Checking
Paddle Today updated	Checking
Main source behind this score	NPS Theodore Roosevelt Little Missouri boating levels
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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.

Official route segment Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge, 3 mi

NPS Theodore Roosevelt lists Sully Creek State Park to Medora Bridge as a 3-mile Little Missouri River mileage segment.

Source
Direct live gauge USGS 06336000

USGS Water Services returned current Little Missouri River at Medora values during implementation: 66.3 cfs and 1.80 ft at 2026-06-12 12:00 CDT.

Source
Official level guidance 699 cfs / 2.5 ft minimum

NPS says at least 2.5 ft / 699 cfs at Medora is required for fair boating and 2.5-3.5 ft / 699-1,500 cfs is good boating. Paddle Today uses 699 cfs as a minimum-only floor.

Source
Public access Rough Rider canoe/kayak access

ND Parks says Rough Rider State Park has Little Missouri River canoe/kayak access and its park map marks kayak/canoe access along the river.

Source
Endpoint coordinates 46.89263398, -103.54044775 to 46.91684167, -103.53228333

The put-in is a practical Rough Rider / former Sully Creek access anchor already recorded from ND Parks map context. The take-out uses the official USGS Medora bridge/gauge coordinate as the Medora Bridge anchor named by NPS.

Source
Badlands hazards Flash rises, debris, fences, limited services

NPS warns that storms can transform the quiet river into a debris-carrying torrent, emergency response can take hours or days, drinking water is limited, and fences may cross the river.

Source

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Quick answers

Little Missouri River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Little Missouri River?

Paddle Today watches Little Missouri River at Medora, ND and uses 699 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.

Where does this Little Missouri River route start and end?

This route starts at Rough Rider State Park canoe/kayak access and ends at Medora Bridge / USGS gauge access anchor, about About 3 mi on the water.

Is this Little Missouri River route good for beginners?

This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.

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Little Missouri River

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