The difficulty of paddling the Snake River varies greatly. Water levels can fluctuate greatly in the spring, depending on rainfall. There are some nice campsites along this river. From Silver Star Road to County Road 3, the upper Snake is dotted with rapids and falls ranging from Class I to Class IV, depending on water levels. From Mora to Pine City, the river is more gentle with very few rapids. Below Cross Lake, the pace picks up again and the river shoots through a series of Class I to Class III rapids and pools, dropping 136 feet in its last 12 miles.
Water level generally peaks in April with a less severe peak in June. During low water, paddling the stretch below Cross Lake may not be possible. The Snake's watershed drains quickly, therefore rapid fluctuations of river flow may occur. From north of McGrath to the St. Croix River, the river falls 440 feet, an average of 5.2 feet per mile. However, much of that drop occurs at the upper and lower reaches, leaving the middle stretch as a relatively gentle stream. The river varies in width from 20 to 250 feet.
The upper Snake River's banks are heavily forested with birch, aspen, oak, maple, ash, elm and some black spruce, tamarack and white pine. This stretch is also dotted with granite outcrops, near the falls. From Mora to Pine City, the river travels through wooded banks that give way to a wide farming valley below Grasston. Below Cross Lake, forested banks as well as sandstone bluffs make this stretch very scenic. Gently rolling hills as well as sharp granite outcrops are all evidences of glacial activity that predominates over this area. Sandstone bluffs are also exposed.
Smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, and catfish are found in this river. Some of the lakes along the route support panfish populations as well. Lake (Rock) sturgeon are also present and the Snake River is only one of few rivers in Minnesota with lake sturgeon.
The river gets its name from the Ojibwe word Kanabec, or snake, naming it after their enemies, the Dakota Indians, who lived upriver, and who the Ojibwe later displaced. As whites settled in the area, fur trading was important along the Snake River. Historical information can be found at the Northwest Company Fur Post site (RM 15.8) (R) in Pine City. Later, logging became an important industry, with evidence such as the Old Bean logging dam and campsite.
PDF map of the Snake River (with descriptions)
geoPDF map of the Snake River
Snake River near Warman, CSAH3
(RM 56.7)
1008.25 - 1009.00 feet
(RM 41.8)
Snake River at Grasston, MN107
(RM 27.1)
Snake River at Pine City, MN (USGS 05338500)
(RM 11.8)
511 Main Street, PO Box 531, Sandstone MN 55072; 651-302-1774. Guided whitewater rafting, canoe, kayak and camping gear rental, trip planning services. Also serves the Kettle and St. Louis Rivers.
Pine City, MN; 303-435-6726 or 612-718-0125. Canoe and kayak rental, shuttle service, guided 22 foot "Big Canoe Adventures", camping and overnight trips available. Reservations recommended.
I originally did not include the first stretch of this river from Pine City (RM 11.8) to the Snake River's confluence (RM 0.0) with the St. Croix River due to the steep river gradient and numerous rapids along this stretch which can make it a difficult and hazardous area to fish. However, this stretch is also very underfished for that very reason. Because of the steep river gradient and rapids the water level must not be too high or too low or you will experience either a very wild float or find yourself continually hitting or hanging up on the big rocks in the rapids. I did this float with a canoe that had stabilizer floats on either side of the canoe for added stability and it required two people, one fishing, and other maneuvering the craft through the rapids. The river gradient for this nearly 12 mile float is 11 feet per mile. A bicycle shuttle is a long 10.5 miles (mostly uphill climb) and takes about 53 minutes.
The second suggested trip is a slow 8.6 mile long paddle trip from the #1 Canary Road ( aka Little Walleye) Landing (RM 22.1) (L) to the Pine City trailer access (RM 13.5) (L). The river gradient along this stretch is basically flat due to the dam on the river at Cross Lake (RM 11.8). A bicycle shuttle is 8.8 miles long and takes 44 minutes.
The next float is a long 12.7 mile long trip putting in at the County Road 11 bridge trailer access (RM 34.8) (R) and taking out at the Little Walleye Landing (RM 22.1) (L). The bicycle shuttle is 10.9 miles long and takes about 53 minutes. A vehicle shuttle would be 11.2 miles long taking 15 minutes. The river gradient is a slow 1 foot per mile.
The above trip can also be divided up into two short segments. The first puts in at the Queen Street Bridge (RM 28.4) (L) and takes out at the Little Walleye Landing (RM 22.1) (L). This is a 6.3 mile long slow float with a 1 foot per mile river gradient. The bicycle shuttle is 4.8 miles long and takes 24 minutes.
The other short segment is a 6.4 mile long float starting at the County Road 11 bridge trailer access (RM 34.8) (R) and ending at the Queen Street Bridge (RM 28.4) (L). This has a bicycle shuttle of 6.5 miles taking 31 minutes to complete. The river gradient is a slow 1 foot per mile.
Putting in at the Mora Municipal Trailer access (RM 41.9) (L) and taking out at the County Road 11 bridge trailer access (RM 34.8) (R) gives you a 7.1 mile long float with a river gradient less than 1 foot per mile. The bicycle shuttle is 6.6 miles long and takes 33 minutes.
Starting northwest of the City of Mora at the County 19 (250th Ave) bridge (RM 48.8) and ending at the Mora Municipal Trailer access (RM 41.9) (L) gives you a 6.9 mile float. Along the way you will encounter the State Hwy 65 bridge (RM 44.9) and the Knife River confluence (RM 44.3) (R). The river picks up a bit more speed in this area with a river gradient of 3.8 feet per mile. The bicycle shuttle is 7.7 miles long and takes about 38 minutes.
If you put in at the County Road 3 (300th Ave) carry in access (RM 56.8) (R) and take out at the County 19 (250th Ave) bridge (RM 48.8) you will experience an 8 mile long float with a river gradient of 3.8 feet per mile. The bicycle shuttle is 6.4 miles long and takes 33 minutes.
The above two trips could also be combined to produce a 14.9 mile long float by putting in at the County Road 3 (300th Ave) carry in access (RM 56.8) (R) and taking out at the Mora Municipal Trailer access (RM 41.9) (L). The bicycle shuttle is 13.5 miles long and takes about 67 minutes. A vehicle shuttle would be 14.1 miles long taking 16 minutes) This also has a 3.8 feet per mile river gradient.
No trips are shown north of County Road 3 access (RM 56.8) through the Snake River State Forest to the Aitkin County Park access (RM 76.6) due to the large hazardous (Class III to Class IV) rapids and long portages that are required in this area.
The last suggested segment puts in near McGrath at the Bear Creek Landing (RM 83.8) and floats 7.2 miles downstream to take out at the Aitkin County Park trailer access (RM 76.6) (R). There is a fee to enter this park. At the Silver Star Road trailer access site (RM 79.1) (R) be aware of some submerged pilings from an old bridge. This requires a bicycle shuttle of 6.4 miles and takes about 31 minutes. The river gradient speeds up to 5.3 feet per mile for this segment.
Here is a video of me fishing a segment of the Snake River in 2019