歪歪漫画

For paddlers looking for routes along the Mississippi River, the Mississippi Headwaters Board now has them covered.

The board is putting up signs guiding paddlers on routes along the Mississippi River across eight counties in northern Minnesota. The excursion signs are put on river accesses and detail where the route leads to, the history of the area around the river, safety reminders and more. Paddlers can see where the routes are by visiting

鈥淚 noticed there's a lot of kayaking going on (the Mississippi River),鈥� said Executive Director Tim Terrill. 鈥淪o I was like, well, how can we get something useful and promote something useful that people could use?鈥�

That鈥檚 where the signs come in, which were first put up in 2019. There are 15 routes along the river that are currently mapped out by excursion signs. The board is planning to add three more this year: near Crosby, Brainerd and Cohasset.

Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer

鈥淚 really wanted to connect and make something that the people could enjoy,鈥� Terrill said. 鈥淚t really exceeded my expectations.鈥�

The signs guide paddlers on routes that range from around three to five hours long. For those who don鈥檛 know the area, there鈥檚 a QR code that visitors can scan that will bring up a map on their phone that they can follow paddlers as they go downstream.

鈥淥nce you scan that QR code, it will follow you down the river like Google Maps,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd you don't need cell phone service.鈥�

Leo Pomerenke / Bemidji Pioneer

The board estimates that the paddling routes generated $61,000 to local economies in 2024, using estimates from QR code data, doubling the total in 2022 and 2023. The board assumed each person who scanned the QR code spent $40 on gas, food or other essentials to come up with their estimate.

The board also runs events called 鈥渞esourcetainment,鈥� in which participants paddle down the river and have a social hour afterward.

Three scheduled events are planned for this summer:

• Aitkin Paddle Your Glass Off: Set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 14 in Aitkin, paddlers will take a route down the river and enjoy music, craft beer and games afterward.
• Paddle & Pint: Set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 12, in Cohasset, paddlers will park at the end of the route, and a party bus will shuttle them to the beginning of the route. Afterward, folks will eat at Bear Ridge Pizza in Cohasset.
• Mississippi History Paddling Excursion: Paddlers will stop at certain historical areas along the river in Brainerd from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 9.

鈥淧eople are really liking the events,鈥� Terrill said. 鈥淲hen you give it a snappy name like 鈥榬esourcetainment,鈥� everybody鈥檚 like, 'Oh that鈥檚 such a cool idea.鈥欌��

The Mississippi Headwaters Board is an organization put together by eight northern Minnesota counties to limit land use along the Mississippi River and to maintain the river鈥檚 health and ecosystem, according to their website. Those counties include Beltrami, Hubbard, Cass, Itasca, Clearwater, Aitkin, Crow Wing and Morrison.

Another part of their mission is to promote recreation on the river, which Terrill is very passionate about. With the excursion signs project, he鈥檚 excited to see its popularity so far.

鈥淭hese signs help bring about awareness, education, but they just take away all the unknown factors,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gets people on the river, and once you're on the river, you wanna protect it.鈥�