If you’re looking for a challenging place to paddle your kayak or canoe, then you need to check out the Mississippi River Challenge in Minnesota.

The Mississippi River Challenge is a 44-mile, 2-day paddling event on Saturday & Sunday, July 24^th & 25^th, 2010.

According to their website:

This event is run by the Friends of the Mississippi River. All funds raised goes toward protecting and conserving the Mississippi River in and around the Twin Cities.

Each paddler is required to raise a minimum of $250 in pledges to participate in this event. ($50 pledge for 16-18 year olds and no minimum pledge amount for 15 and under)

You can paddle one or two days. Each day the paddle is 22 miles.

 Paddle your kayak or canoe.

Paddle solo or with a partner.

There will be overnight camping available at the Historic Fort Snelling.

Paddle through three locks.

This paddling event is from the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park in the North Metro to Grey Cloud Island, South of St Paul.

Paddlers of all skill and experience levels have paddled this challenge. Most paddlers set their own speed.

To find out more information on this paddling challenge or to find other paddling events, races, festivals, paddlefests, or triathlons  all over the U.S. Click here to go to our kayak, canoe races and paddling events page.

Looking for places to paddle, kayak or canoe in your State?

Search our places to paddle page for places to kayak, canoe for flatwater or whitewater. Kayaking and canoeing paddling locations are listed by U.S. State.

Rain is all our Borntopaddle.com kayaker saw on his way to Outdoor Inc’s Canoe & Kayak Race. After leaving at 4am and traveling 190 miles to race his 9.5 ft Swifty kayak and being extremely confident of bringing home a medal, the race was cancelled. Because of, you guessed it, rain! And lot’s of it. Although he was disappointed, he was happy to get his t-shirt, ear buds, glass case, and red tow flag.

 He didn’t get to race today, but traveling home gave him the challenge his was looking for on the river. Interstate 40 was closed in Memphis because of flooding, so he needed to use his gut instinct and his compass to travel east on side roads dodging manhole covers pushed out by rising flood waters in pouring rain and lightning to head home. He finally made it home in 5 ½ hours instead of the usually 3 hours.  I’m sure if you ask any kayaker that got to the kayak race about their trip home it would have the same challenging events.

Is our kayaker going back next year rain or shine? You bet! This kayak race is one of his favorite paddling events. Kayaking on the Mississippi river is a challenging paddle, and he has paddled it in a little 9.5 foot Swifty kayak and an 18 foot Sea kayak and brought medals home each time.

Will team Borntopaddle.com be there next year to root on our kayaker? You bet! We love to support our racing kayaker and this race is a great one to watch.