Pembina, North Dakota, US

Walhalla: County 55 to County 32 (10.5 miles)

Usual Difficulty	I (for normal flows)

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
PEMBINA RIVER AT WALHALLA, ND
usgs-05099600	300 - 3000 cfs	I	86d08h52m	135 cfs (rc= -0.6 )
	Awfully low. Expect to scrape a lot! Gauge is on this reach, thus should accurately reflect actual flow in this reach.

River Description

While mostly characterized as a scenic flatwater float, this river is host to what is often (mistakenly) reported as "the only whitewater" to be found in the state of North Dakota. An area of Class I boulder-garden rapids lies upstream of Walhalla.

Aaron Kennedy provides:

I've had the opportunity to run this river on a couple of occasions. This river is runnable down to ~300-350cfs or so. At this level, do expect to scrape bottom a few times. In addition, numerous boulders become exposed requiring navigation at several small ledges/drops. As such, I'd rate a portion of the river as class II . . . it isn't just riffles. A much better level to run it is around 600cfs. This erases most of the scrapes.

Primary hazard along this river is strainers, however, at least at lower water levels (600cfs and lower), flow is pretty slow so they are easily avoidable. Plenty of places to get out and stretch along the way.

Primary put-in is at the County 55 Bridge. While not confirmed, there may be access farther north near the Canadian border. I'll investigate this reach one of these days.

Take-Out at County 32 Bridge in Walhalla or possibly at their riverside park. Overall, just a fun river to paddle down in the summer. Great for introducing friends to a little whitewater with not much danger.