Bucket List Trip

Here is an exciting adventure we can paddle right our back yard. did you know that you can paddle the Minnesota River from Ortenville all the way to the Mississippi river in Minneapolis? According to the MN DNR website at http://dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/minnesotariver/index.html The Minnesota River flows 318 miles from Big Stone Lake in Ortonville to its confluence with the Mississippi River near Fort Snelling in St. Paul. It is a gentle, placid river, with some portions designated as a Wild and Scenic River.

The valley through which the river flows was carved into the landscape by the glacial River Warren between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago. Paddlers will see a diversity of terrain, ranging from steep granite bluffs to marshy lowlands.

As far as a paddling adventure, it looks like it would take a week or more to paddle it all in one go. But it could be broken up easily into segments and completed in multiple trips. There is a fantastic site at http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/minnesota-river-virtual-tour-map that takes you on a virtual tour of the river and provides resources to planning out your trip or hooking up with a guide.

This trip is definitely going on my Bucket List!