Minnesota /

Minnesota River

River in Minnesota · 3,367 acres · near Appleton, Belle Plaine, Burnsville, Carver

The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about 332 miles long by the Wikipedia figure. The Minnesota DNR gives 318 miles for the state water trail and 320 miles on its fisheries page. The river starts at Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota–South Dakota border and runs southeast to Mankato. There it turns northeast and joins the Mississippi at Mendota, near Fort Snelling. Its watershed covers about 17,000 square miles of southern Minnesota and small parts of Iowa and South Dakota. A glacial river called River Warren carved the valley between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. The river passes through Lac qui Parle Lake, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a dam. There are five dams on the upper river, including one at Granite Falls.

The river was made a state water trail in 1963. The DNR divides it into six paddling segments between Ortonville and the Mississippi. The DNR counts more than 50 boat and canoe accesses on the river, though large boats cannot easily navigate every stretch. Bloomington limits boats to 8 mph from sunrise to sunset and 5 mph at night on all its waters, including the Minnesota River. In the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, boats are allowed only in the river's main channel. In the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, only non-motorized boats and boats with electric motors are allowed, and only in the main channel. The Corps maintains a nine-foot commercial navigation channel from the mouth to river mile 14.7. Zebra mussels were confirmed in the river in 2016.

The river has more than 80 fish species and is nationally known for trophy flathead catfish. Downstream of the Granite Falls dam, anglers may fish with two lines during the open-water season.

Boating rules

Rules change; check with the agency or town before you go.

Launches

Community

Where people who fish, boat and paddle Minnesota River talk about it. Lake associations, clubs and local groups will be added as we find them.

Sources

  1. Minnesota River State Water Trail - Minnesota DNR
  2. Minnesota River: Fishing and management - Minnesota DNR
  3. Minnesota River segments and maps - Minnesota DNR
  4. Minnesota Lake and River Use Restriction Summary - Minnesota DNR
  5. Nine-Foot Channel Maintenance - Lower Minnesota River Watershed District
  6. Minnesota River - Wikipedia

Researched October 13, 2026 from the sources above. Written content CC BY 4.0. Something wrong? Corrections are welcome.

Wikidata: Q1136502