Root River

Driftless limestone spring creeks the glaciers forgot.

The Root River system drains the southeast corner of Minnesota — the Driftless Area, the unglaciated pocket of the Upper Midwest where limestone bedrock filters every drop of water and 50°F springs feed the streams year-round.

The South Branch, Middle Branch, and main stem hold wild brown trout and (in cooler tributaries) native brook trout. The MN DNR has assembled hundreds of miles of stream easements that grant public access across private land — the part most newcomers can't figure out.