Minnesota River — Lac qui Parle to Montevideo: River Level Today — Can You Paddle It?

At 2.5 ft the Minnesota River is 0.5 ft short of the 3 ft this reach needs to float — that is the gap between today's reading and the bottom of the runnable range, not a small margin you can paddle through.

Over the last 24 hours it has barely moved, 2.5 ft to 2.5 ft. Daily average flow — a different measurement from the gauge height this reach is graded on — has run between 255 cfs and 290 cfs, 12% lower at the end of the week than the start.

Minnesota River at Lac qui Parle to Montevideo is a Flatwater float in Minnesota — no rapids under normal flows, just moving water and the odd riffle. Most paddlers put in at Lac qui Parle State Park and take out at Montevideo access.

Whether it's worth the drive comes down to flow. This section generally paddles well at 3–14 ft. Much below that and the Minnesota 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 05311000 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.