State designated canoe route. Designated State scenic and recreational canoe route from Lac qui Parle to Franklin. Broad channel flowing through floodplain forest and wide valley, granite boulders, ourcrops and wooded bluffs interspersed with farmland. Suitable for beginners. Portage dams at Granite Falls and Montevideo.
Wildlife refuges feature waterfowl and other birds.
Campsites available in many parks along river. Take out at Belle Plaine. River passes through marshes, meadows and bottomland forests of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, River segment wide and muddy, with sandy, eroded riverbanks, Campsites at Lawrence and Carver Rapids waysides. Songbird and Waterfowl migratory area. Suitable for beginners, but with caution in high traffic areas near the Twin Cities.