Rum River

The Rum River is a river in east-central Minnesota that flows 154 miles from Mille Lacs Lake to its confluence with the Mississippi River at Anoka. It passes Milaca, Princeton, Cambridge, Isanti and St. Francis and is 20 to 100 feet wide. Its watershed covers 997,060 acres across parts of ten counties. The river from the Ogechie Lake spillway to Anoka is a component of Minnesota's wild, scenic and recreational rivers system. The lowest stretch is impounded by a dam in Anoka; the first dam there was built of logs and earth in 1853, and the present concrete dam replaced the wooden one in 1969.

The Minnesota DNR manages the river as a state water trail, established in 1967, in three segments: Mille Lacs Lake to Milaca, Milaca to Isanti, and Isanti to the Mississippi. DNR Parks and Trails runs ramps at Walbo, Martins, Hwy 14 and Hwy 7, along with the Wayside Landing carry-in. The cities of Milaca, Princeton, Cambridge, Andover, Ramsey and Anoka also run launches, as does Anoka County. Rum River North Park takes only canoes and small boats, and the Rum River Central Park ramp suits small trailered boats. Shallow areas make it hard to travel upstream, so most anglers on the Anoka County reach float from one access to the next. The river contains zebra mussels.

Anglers seek smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Bluegill, crappie and pike are more abundant in the impounded water near Anoka. The river's English name comes from a mistranslation of the Dakota name, which meant "spirit" or "mystic" river.