Big Fork,

A) Hwy.1 wayside to Little American Falls picnic area (18.3 miles)

Gauge Information

River Description

Quick Facts:
Location: NorthCentral Minnesota, approximately 13 miles NE from Bigfork, 136 miles NW from Duluth.
Shuttle Length: 12.7 miles. (See details in "Directions" Tab.)
Character: Northwoods canoe tripping, mostly flatwater, light rapids and one falls.

Put-in elevation is approximately 1280'.
Take-out elevation is approximately 1240'.
Thus total elevation change is approximately 40'.

Information (lat, lng, elev, total drop, run length, shuttle length) adjusted and/or verified from best manual extrapolation of online data (via maps.google.com, distance measuring tool, and other resources). 2009.04.15

The resolution on Google Maps for this area is pretty good. Go to the 'Map' tab, click 'USGS Aerial' 'Satellite', double-click near the put-in, zoom in to the maximum resolution available (without losing image), and do a 'virtual walk' of this reach!

General Overview

This reach includes class I rapids, a half-mile stretch of Class II (Muldoon Rapids), and Little American Falls, described in a MN DNR brochure as "a six foot ledge into a deep pool flanked by 60 foot bluffs." It lists conflicting ratings for the drop, once calling it Class III-IV, and later calling it Class IV-V. (I anticipate the former is more likely correct by current standards.)

Boaters may use alternate access to shorten the trip (perhaps even just doing a 'park-and-huck at the take-out falls?).