Cannon River — Cannon Falls to Welch: River Level Today — Can You Paddle It?

At 332 cfs the Cannon River is inside the runnable range but only 101 cfs above the 231 cfs floor, so it is sitting at the shallow end of what this reach runs at. A dry few days would take it under.

Over the last 24 hours it has barely moved, 334 cfs to 332 cfs. Daily means over the past 7 days have run between 333 cfs and 596 cfs, 44% lower at the end of the week than the start.

Cannon River at Cannon Falls to Welch is a Class I run in Minnesota — easygoing moving water with light riffles and nothing technical. Most paddlers put in at Cannon Falls (Hwy 19 access) and take out at Welch (Welch Station Rd access).

Whether it's worth the drive comes down to flow. This section generally paddles well at 231–3,000 cfs. Much below that and the Cannon River gets low and bony, so you end up scraping gravel and walking the shallows; well above the top of the range it turns fast, cold and pushy, which is a more serious day than most casual boaters want. We read USGS gauge 05355200 about every 30 minutes and compare the live number to that window, so the verdict at the top of this page reflects conditions right now rather than a monthly average.

Flows here are usually most dependable April–October. Spring can run high after rain or snowmelt, and late summer often drops too low to float well — but the gauge always beats the calendar, so check today's reading before you go.