Little South Pembina
99th St.NE to bridge just shy of conf.Pembina R. (5.6-19 miles)
| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 19 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 25 fpm |
| Gauge | Little South Pembina River Nr Walhalla, Nd |
| Flow Rate as of 57 minutes | 17 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 9, 2026 |
River Description
Reports (below) confirm that this can be a fine run with roller-coaster waves when flow is adequate.
River Features
Put In
Most people report putting in from 99th Street NE. At higher flows, others report an enjoyable trip from much further up.
Uppermost reported put-in: 117th Avenue NE
At high flows, a long trip starting this far upstream has merit.
Take Out: 123rd Avenue
Take-out at the 123rd Avenue bridge ... or continue to the confluence (not far downstream) for an extended run on the Pembina.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportVideo of below story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Pz074kigU
A team of 5 ran a LONG stretch of the Little South on April 30th at dead on 3000 CFS. It was incredible (for north dakota). the first and last third (roughly) had lots of class two and a few substantial sections of class three, and the middle third was easier flatwater and class one riffles - but still nice and fast. We'd been eyeing this stretch for some time waiting for it to peak and this was our day. After reading the other comments i'm interested in running it at lower stretches but will respectfully disagree that 250 CFS is anywhere near the upper limit of runnable. We put in at 116th ave NE (Mona road). Upstream of this the water had backed up creating a lake of sort as the culvert under the road reached max capacity. The put in was adjacent to the roiling malestrom pool that served as an outlet. Catching this high water run in the spring will typically require a dry suit or other cold weather gear - the water is COLD. Occasionally the river reaches 1000-2000 CFS after significant rain events. I intend to try it at lower levels - but it was an awful lot of fun at 3000! Rodeo baby!
I ran this river on April 18 at 74 cfs. It was passable but barely. 100 cfs would be enough to get through fairly easily in a shallow riding boat. i have ran it as high as 250 cfs which was on the higher end of paddleable. THis is only from the bridge on 99th ST to the confluence. I have yet to try it from farther upstream.
I have ran this river from the bridge at 99th street to the confluence and then into whalhalla. At high water there is standing waves and a few drops. very fun but short.