Minnesota | Twin Cities North Metro

Rum River

Martin's Landing to North County Park

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

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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.

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

Recent trend

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Checking trend.

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Best window today

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Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

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Difficulty easy Generally beginner-friendly with wider, deeper current than the smallest creeks, but flood debris and cold shoulder-season water still deserve respect.
Permits None noted No route-specific paddling permit is known. Follow posted access, parking, and boating rules at both public landings.
Camping Day trip Treat this as a day trip. Corridor camping rules vary by ownership and are not simple enough to assume from the landings alone.
Season Apr-Oct Late spring through early fall is the main window. Summer can still work well, but very low water slows the day down fast and post-rain debris still matters.

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, shuttle, and map

Put in at Martin's Landing and take out at Rum River North County Park. This is a straightforward scenic shuttle day when the St. Francis gauge is comfortably above scrape level.

Start

Put-in

Martin's Landing trailer access Open map

The take-out is a county park, so local park hours or parking rules can matter more than on a roadside access.

Finish

Take-out

Rum River North County Park access Open map

Do not assume flood-stage debris cleanup has already happened after recent storms just because the route is usually easy.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats

  • The take-out is a county park, so local park hours or parking rules can matter more than on a roadside access.
  • Do not assume flood-stage debris cleanup has already happened after recent storms just because the route is usually easy.

Watch for

  • Low-water scraping and slower pace when the gauge falls toward the 600 cfs floor.
  • Fresh strainers and debris after heavy rain or spring runoff.
  • Cold-water exposure outside midsummer, even on a mellow current day.

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

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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.

  • Checking data confidence notes.
Tomorrow and weekend

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

Tomorrow Checking

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Weekend Checking

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Gauge, thresholds, and timing

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

Gauge site Rum River near St. Francis, MN
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 1,000 cfs to 2,000 cfs
Low threshold 600 cfs
High threshold 3,000 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 Rum River near St. Francis
Gauge source Checking
Weather source Checking
Rainfall source Checking
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 600 / 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 cfs

    MN DNR interprets this gauge as Scrapable below 600 cfs, Low from 600 to 1,000, Medium from 1,000 to 2,000, High from 2,000 to 3,000, and Very High above 3,000.

    Source

  • Route character Easy scenic day

    MN DNR treats Martin's Landing to Rum River North County Park as a recommended paddling trip with few rapids and a wider, deeper lower-river feel.

    Source

  • Access confidence Verified

    Martin's Landing and Rum River North County Park are both documented public endpoints for this corridor.

  • Primary caution Flood debris

    Rising post-rain water can add debris and make an easy scenic route feel less forgiving.

    Source

Check the source links

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

Photos, paddler notes, and updates.

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Rum River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Rum River?

Paddle Today watches Rum River near St. Francis, MN and treats 1,000 cfs to 2,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.

Where does this Rum River route start and end?

This route starts at Martin's Landing trailer access and ends at Rum River North County Park access, about 10.9 mi on the water.

Is this Rum 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.

See something outdated?

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