Kayak Love

North Dakota · river

Heart River near Mandan

Live conditions for this USGS-monitored stretch of water, updated every 15 minutes.

67of 100

Fair

Paddle Score, from live wind and water conditions

Photograph taken near Heart River near Mandan
Nearby on Wikimedia Commons — City hall mandan north dakota 2009.jpg by afiler, CC BY-SA 2.0. Taken within 10km of this location — it may not show the launch itself.

Wind

16 mph

gusting to 22 mph

Air temp

87°F

3% chance of rain

River flow

35.8 cfs

normal for this date

Best day to paddle this week

Thursday · 68

  • Today

    57

  • Sat

    37

  • Sun

    28

  • Mon

    21

  • Tue

    20

  • Wed

    53

  • Thu

    68

    Best

Scored from each day's peak forecast wind, heat, and rain chance — river flow isn't forecastable, so check back before you load the boat.

Wind, next 12 hours

mph
Hourly wind forecast
HourWind (mph)Gusts (mph)
2p1522
3p1620
4p1721
5p1721
6p1621
7p1423
8p1118
9p917
10p917
11p1218
12a1118
1a1117

Is this flow normal for September 4?

Today's 35.8 cfs is 46% below the median for this date — which counts as normal water here.

The median flow on this date is 66 cfs, across 101 years of USGS record at this gauge. Whether that is runnable depends on the stretch — this is context, not a recommendation.

Why this score

  • Wind16 mph — hard work, whitecaps likely-33

We don't have launch notes for this one

This page is built from the USGS gauge at this location, so the flow and weather are real — but we haven't verified where to put in, what the hazards are, or whether this stretch is legal or sensible to paddle. We'd rather say that than invent it. The links below are where to find out.

We also don't have a verified safe-flow range here, so the Paddle Score reflects weather only. Judge the flow number against local knowledge, not against our score.

Do your own homework

We show you live conditions. For local knowledge — where to put in, what the hazards are, whether it's worth the drive — here's where paddlers actually talk about this water. We don't vet these sources; check the dates and judge for yourself.

Nearby water

All paddling spots in North Dakota