Paddle Today Find the best paddle near you today.
Request Request

Live score, water level, and weather.

See all 3 routes on North Fork Crow River

Minnesota | Twin Cities Northwest Metro

North Fork Crow River

Rockford Access to Riverside County Park

Check current paddling conditions for this North Fork Crow River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. This usually takes a few seconds.
Checking live data

Route snapshot

Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

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

Level Checking Checking
Trend Checking Checking 24h change
Weather Loading Air: No reading
Rain Loading Recent rain: Checking

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

-- -- -- -- -- --

Weather

Best window today

Checking weather.

Today by hour

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
-- -- Loading --

Quick facts

On-water distance 8.5 mi Rockford Access to Riverside County Park
Difficulty easy DNR describes this section as straight and shallow with gravel, cobble, and boulder substrate. It is generally approachable at normal levels, but current, wood, and shallow spots still matter.
Shuttle Car shuttle Plan a straightforward two-car shuttle from Rockford to Riverside County Park. This is the shorter, cleaner setup upstream of the longer Riverside-to-Dayton route.
Permits None noted No route-specific paddling permit is known. Follow posted Rockford access rules and Wright County park rules at Riverside County Park.
Camping Day trip Riverside County Park has a primitive canoe campsite by reservation. Treat camping as a separate booking, not an assumed part of this day trip.
Season Apr-Oct Late spring through early fall is the practical window. The reach is shorter than the Dayton route, but low water still drags across shallow gravel and recent high water can move wood.

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 the Rockford public water access and take out at Riverside County Park near Hanover. DNR describes this as an 8.5-mile possible day trip on a straight, shallow lower North Fork Crow reach.

Directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap
Start

Put-in

Rockford Boat Launch / Rockford public water access Open map

The Rockford access is a small-watercraft launch with moderate bank height and a fishing pier nearby.

Finish

Take-out

Riverside County Park / Riverside Park public water access Open map

Riverside County Park is a real Wright County river-access park. The DNR Riverside guide describes the access as somewhat steep but usable for small boats and canoes.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats

  • The Rockford access is a small-watercraft launch with moderate bank height and a fishing pier nearby.
  • Riverside County Park is a real Wright County river-access park. The DNR Riverside guide describes the access as somewhat steep but usable for small boats and canoes.
  • This route overlaps the same lower-river gauge family as Riverside-to-Dayton; choose this if you want a shorter day.

Watch for

  • Shallow gravel, cobble, and boulder sections when the Rockford gauge falls toward the low band.
  • Fresh wood or debris after high water, even though the DNR guide notes few downed trees during its survey.
  • Changing landing mud and bank conditions at both accesses after rain.

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.

The Crow River flows under a railroad bridge in Rockford, Minnesota, with people sitting near the water at the landing.
Crow River at Rockford Photo by Jerry Huddleston via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons: CC BY 2.0

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.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge input Checking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather input Checking

Waiting on weather.

Next step Checking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

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.

Why
  • Checking data confidence notes.
Outlook Tomorrow and weekend

This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.

Tomorrow Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Weekend Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Data behind the score Gauge, thresholds, and timing

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

Gauge site North Fork Crow River nr Rockford, Farmington Ave
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
Target band 500 cfs to 1,500 cfs
Low threshold 345 cfs
High threshold 1,750 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 North Fork Crow River near Rockford
Gauge source Checking
Weather source Checking
Rainfall source Checking
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 345 / 500-1,500 / 1,750 cfs

    MN DNR interprets the Rockford reading as Scrapable below 345 cfs, Low from 345 to 500, Medium from 500 to 1,500, High from 1,500 to 1,750, and Very High above 1,750.

    Source

  • DNR route support 8.5 river miles

    The DNR Rockford Access guide names Rockford Access to Riverside County Park as a possible day trip and describes the river as straight and shallow with few downed trees encountered in the guide survey.

    Source

  • Public access records DNR access IDs WAS03086 and WAS01955

    Minnesota public-water-access data identifies the put-in as North Fork Crow River, Rockford Public Water Access Site at river mile 22.8 and the take-out as Crow River, Riverside Park Public Water Access Site at river mile 15.4.

    Source

  • Take-out support Wright County park

    Wright County confirms Riverside County Park has public river access, river frontage, pit toilets, picnic area, and a reservable primitive canoe campsite.

    Source

  • Take-out launch detail Steep but launchable

    The DNR Riverside Access guide says Riverside County Park has a somewhat steep access, but small boats and canoes may be launched there.

    Source

  • Hazard context Former low-head dams removed

    The DNR Rockford guide notes that former low-head dam hazards at Hanover and Berning Mill were removed, but same-day wood and water-level checks still matter.

    Source

Verify it yourself Check the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Photos, paddler notes, and updates.

See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

More in Minnesota

All 46 routes
Minnesota route guide Browse every tracked Minnesota route. Twin Cities Northwest Metro Jump to routes in this region.

More on North Fork Crow River

All 3
Betty T. Mason River Access to Wildlife County Park Central Minnesota Moderate · 10.2 mi Riverside County Park to Dayton Twin Cities Northwest Metro Moderate · 15.3 mi

Nearby routes by distance

South Fork Crow River Rick Johnson Park to Lake Rebecca Park Reserve · about 10 mi away Moderate · 14.3 mi Minnehaha Creek Gray's Bay to Longfellow Lagoon · about 15 mi away Easy · 21.3 mi Mississippi River East River Flats to Hidden Falls Regional Park · about 26 mi away Moderate · 5 mi Minnesota River Thompson Ferry to Carver Riverfront Park · about 28 mi away Easy · 8.1 mi

Quick answers

North Fork Crow River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling North Fork Crow River?

Paddle Today watches North Fork Crow River nr Rockford, Farmington Ave and treats 500 cfs to 1,500 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this North Fork Crow River route start and end?

This route starts at Rockford Boat Launch / Rockford public water access and ends at Riverside County Park / Riverside Park public water access, about 8.5 mi on the water.

Is this North Fork Crow 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

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a change Email update