Big Fork River
Big Fork River Overview
The Big Fork River in Koochiching County flows north to the Rainy River. The low-lying river valley is pastoral in places and wild in others, the lower 50 miles offers excellent fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike and muskie. Seven canoe/small boat accesses scattered along this 50-mile section of river allow for day floats of varying distances. Just make sure you start any trips below Grand Falls in the town of Big Falls. Downstream of this tumultuous cascade there are no dangerous rapids. To find the smallmouths, skip the areas with clay or sand bottoms and concentrate on rocky head-of-pool areas and eddies below islands. Due the to the fine-particle clay soils of the area, the Big Fork can run very turbid after a rain. Fishing is best if it's been dry for at least a week.
big fork River Character
- Mostly easy to canoe or kayak, with several areas of Class I rapids.
- Two spectacular waterfalls must be portaged by all but the most experienced paddlers: Little American Falls (Class III-IV) and Big Falls (Class IV-VI).
Stream flow generally peaks in late April and drops in the summer, when the rapids may become impassable. Heavy summer or autumn rains can raise the river to runnable levels. Some rapids will be too rocky to run if the gauge reading on the State Highway 38 bridge in Bigfork is much less than 4 feet. Use great caution at the two waterfalls!
big fork river Landscape
Scattered small farms break up a forest of pine, spruce, fir, cedar, aspen and birch. The areas of major development are the towns of Bigfork and Big Falls.
The geology is clay, silt and sand deposits—in many places less than five feet thick—overlying Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Most of the watershed was once covered by glacial Lake Agassiz.
big fork river Fish and Wildlife
Popular for Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskie, and Smallmouth Bass fishing. You may also encounter a wide variety of wild animals including deer, moose, black bears, wolves, bobcats, lynx, beaver, and otter. Birds will include eagles, osprey, grouse, and various species of ducks.
big fork river History
A succession of Woodland Culture Indians occupied the region during the 2,500 years before its settlement by whites. One of the most notable groups was the Laurel. People of this group built Grand Mound, a burial hill 40 feet high and more than 100 feet across at its base. Located near the mouth of the river, the site is part of Grand Mound Center, a Minnesota Historical Society facility.
The Laurel gave way to the Blackduck, who may have been the direct predecessors of the Dakota. The Dakota—or Sioux—inhabited the region until the Ojibwe laid claim to the area.
At the turn of the century, millions of board feet of pine logs were floated down the river to lumber mills in Ontario.
big fork river Map
geoPDF map of the Big Fork River
big fork River Gauge
Site Report - River Mile 52.4 - Big Fork River at Big Falls, MN (77069001)
USGS ID - (05132000)
Site Report -River Mile 91.6 - Big Fork River near Craigville, MN (77107001)
USGS ID - (05131870)
big fork river Shuttle and Rental Services
Bigfork River Canoe Outfitting
403 Main Avenue, Bigfork, MN 55628; 218-743-6878. Canoe and kayak rentals. Shuttle service from Dora Lake to the Rainy River.
Rivers North Outfitters of Minnesota
(Gorden's Hardware/Wild River Gifts, two blocks west of Hwy 71 and Hwy 6) 312 2nd St NW, PO Box 38, Big Falls, MN 56627. 218-276-2481 or 877-481-2569. Canoe and kayak rental, shuttling services, free trip planning, guide service, fishing licenses, supplies, tents and other camping gear. Also serves the Littlefork River.
29755 State Highway 38, Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-326-9866. Ten canoes for rent. No shuttling. Some camping gear and food. Also serves Cloquet, Little Fork, Mississippi, Saint Louis, and Vermilion Rivers.
big fork River trips
Ivan Crawford Landing (RM 8.1) to Reedy Flats Landing (RM 0.5) is a 7.6 mile river float which ends very near the junction of the Rainy River. A 5.3 mile bike shuttle can be accomplished in 26 minutes. This is a very slow moving section of the river with a drop of only 2 feet over the 7.6 mile float (0.26 feet drop per mile).
County Road 1 Bridge in the town of Linford (RM 19.0) to Ivan Crawford Landing (RM 8.1) is a 10.9 mile river float which has a 6.5 mile bike shuttle taking 32 minutes. The river gradient on this float is 0.9 feet per mile.
Keuffner's Landing (RM 30.4) to County Road 1 Bridge (RM 19.0) is an 11.4 mile river float with a 7.3 mile bike shuttle which can be done in 36 minutes. The river drops 1.4 feet per mile along this stretch.
This trip could also be extended by starting at Gowdy Landing (RM 34.2) (also known as Hendrickson Landing) for a 15.2 mile float and a bike shuttle of 11.4 miles taking about 55 minutes. This float also has a 1.4 foot per mile river gradient.
Floating from Ben Lynn Landing (RM 42.9) to Gowdy Landing (RM 34.2) is an 8.7 mile river float and a bike shuttle of 12 miles taking about an hour. The river drops 16 feet during this run with a river gradient of 1.8 feet per mile. At RM 30 you will encounter a Class I rapids.
A river float from just below the Grand Falls (Class IV rapids) in the City of Big Falls (RM 52.5) to Ben Lynn Landing (RM 42.9) is a 9.6 mile float with a bike shuttle of 7.1 miles taking 36 minutes. The river gradient is 2 feet per mile.
As many as 3 to 4 additional floats upstream of Big Falls are possible because State Highway 6 essentially follows near the course of the Big Fork River and offers easy shuttle runs, but as noted, the best fishing appears to be in the lower 50 miles of the Big Fork River. Refer to the river map for other potential river float trips.