Paddling adventures in Otter Tail County, MN
Written by Jenna Kvidt, photos by Micah Kvidt
With over 1,000 lakes and several rivers in Otter Tail County, you know there has to be some great spots for paddling! As we were exploring this past year, we took our kayak to quite a few different locations around the county. We paddled on both lakes and rivers and had so much fun exploring the large variety of waterways. And, if you don’t have your own kayak, canoe, or SUP, there are plenty of places to rent one throughout the county. Read on to learn about all the different options for paddling in Otter Tail County!
Explore a Lake
As I mentioned, there are more than 1,000 lakes within the boundaries of Otter Tail County. To break that down, this means that you would have to visit one lake per day for more than 3 years to paddle them all! Of course, it would take even longer than that because of winter, but you get the point. There are lakes both large and small to pick from, so head to a public access and launch your kayak, SUP, or canoe to start exploring. Some lakes we paddled this past year were Pelican Lake, South Lake Lida, Annie Battle Lake, Otter Tail Lake, Battle Lake, and Sand Lake.
Paddle the Pelican River
There are a couple of convenient launch points if you are looking to paddle on the Pelican River. One option is to launch from E.L. Peterson Park and paddle upriver until you feel like turning around and heading back the way you came. This is the option we picked during our last paddle on the river, and it was a great choice.
Another option is to launch at the Prairie Lake Access north of Pelican Rapids and paddle all the way to the dam in town. This route takes roughly 1.5 hours to complete and if you don’t have your own kayak, The Pelican Paddle Company has some available to rent.
Have an Adventure on the Otter Tail River State Water Trail
The Otter Tail River State Water Trail is 157 miles long, and a large portion of the trail is within the boundaries of Otter Tail County. As the river winds its way through the county, it connects with lakes and runs through towns. It generally offers slow-moving water and easy river paddling, but you also need to watch out for dams, rock rapids, and culverts. Depending on the water level, paddlers can encounter a variety of different conditions. During low flow, paddlers may have to walk their boats through some portions of the river, and during high flow, paddlers may have to dodge large rocks and mild rapids. With careful planning and honest assessment of your paddling skills, you should be able to find a portion of the river that is right for you!
There are more than 30 launch points that allow access to the trail, so you can paddle for however long you desire. We paddled a couple sections of the river this past summer and had a great time getting out on the river. One portion that we paddled was in Fergus Falls and the other was in Phelps Mill.
Fergus Falls Access
We dropped the kayaks in the water at one of the trail access points off of Highway 210, which is marked as 55.1 L on the water trail map. The section just downriver from where we launched has a series of rapids and old dam remnants, so instead of paddling through that, we decided to make our way upriver before coming back to our launch point. The current was flowing at a decent pace, so we were glad that we paddled upriver first. With the sun shining, blue skies, and lush trees surrounding us, it was a fantastic afternoon.
Phelps Mill Access
Just downriver from the Phelps Mill Dam (near 84.2 R on the water trail map) there is an access point to launch a kayak, and it is where we decided to start this paddling adventure. To start, we paddled upriver towards the old mill and then made our way downriver again before turning back to our starting point. Another option from this access point is to paddle all the way to West Lost Lake (about 4 miles) and take your kayak out there. If you go this route, just be sure you have transportation to get back to your starting point. We paddled this portion of the river on a gorgeous autumn day, and we loved doing some leaf-peeping from the water!
Head to a State Park
State parks can provide wonderful paddling options, and Otter Tail County is lucky to be home to two fantastic state parks: Maplewood State Park and Glendalough State Park. There are several options for some beautiful paddling in both parks.
Maplewood State Park
This past summer, we launched our kayak onto South Lake Lida from Maplewood State Park, and we were treated to an incredible sunset. South Lake Lida is one of the busier lakes that you can access from the park, but there are several other lakes that also have accessible boat launches that paddlers can use. The other lakes that have launch sites within Maplewood State Park are Beers Lake, Fladmark Lake, and Twenty-one Lake.
Glendalough State Park
Although there are plenty of lakes to explore at this park, we explored Annie Battle Lake on a sunny afternoon and had a wonderful time on the water. Another great option for paddling in Glendalough State Park is to set off on Battle Creek which connects four of the lakes in the park: West Battle Lake, Molly Stark Lake, Annie Battle Lake, and Lake Blanche. The park also offers 3 canoe-in sites that are located on the northeast shore of Annie Battle Lake. If you don’t have your own kayak, SUP, or canoe, no need to worry. You can rent one from Galloping Goose Rentals, which is conveniently located right inside the park.
No matter what type of paddling you like to do, Otter Tail County offers it all!