Minnesota River — Mankato to St. Peter: River Level Today — Can You Paddle It?

At 872 cfs the Minnesota River is inside the runnable range but only 305 cfs above the 567 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 gone from 963 cfs to 872 cfs, 9% down. Daily means over the past 7 days have run between 976 cfs and 2,290 cfs, 57% lower at the end of the week than the start.

Minnesota River at Mankato to St. Peter is a Flatwater float in Minnesota — no rapids under normal flows, just moving water and the odd riffle. Most paddlers put in at Mankato (Land of Memories Park) and take out at St. Peter (Minnesota Square access).

Whether it's worth the drive comes down to flow. This section generally paddles well at 567–22,500 cfs. 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 05325000 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.