About

McDowell Dam Recreation Area is an SUP school and rentals in Bismarck. They offer kayak rentals and have an accessible kayak launch. The recreation area features a 0.6-mile paved shared-use loop trail and a 2.4-mile unpaved biking and hiking loop trail.

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Outfitter details

Disciplines: Paddleboarding (SUP)

Paddler reviews

4.6on Google, 386 reviews

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Rating from Google.

Around here

Around McDowell Dam Recreation Area

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Data Source: Recreation.gov · Public land: USGS PAD-US

Typical flow by month

1946 to 2026

The water at McDowell Dam Recreation Area typically runs highest in April, at a median 54 cfs, and lowest in September, at 1.2 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 5,590 cfs, in 1950.

Show the numbers

Typical flow by month at Apple Creek near Menoken, ND, in cfs
Month	Typical (cfs)	Usual range (cfs)
January	1.5	0.7 to 4.3
February	1.7	0.7 to 5.1
March	10	2.3 to 79
April	54	11 to 225
May	36	7.1 to 115
June	20	5.6 to 89
July	7.8	1.4 to 52
August	2.0	0.3 to 27
September	1.2	0.2 to 11
October	1.4	0.6 to 9.6
November	2.6	1.0 to 9.7
December	2.0	1.0 to 7.1

Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 80 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Apple Creek near Menoken, ND (site 06349500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.

Current conditions

Today · Fri

78Go/ 100

CloudyHigh 54°F, low 27°FRain 1%Wind 7 kt, gusts 16

Air quality

16 Good

Bismarck Residential monitor, 10 km

National Weather ServiceBelow flood stage

Flood stage 15 ft. NWS reads 1.02 ft here.

NWS issues forecasts here only during high water.

Forecast from Open-Meteo global models (NOAA & ECMWF). Flood stages and forecasts: NOAA National Weather Service. Air quality: North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality via EPA AirNow. Preliminary data, not verified.

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