The 2026 Upper Mississippi River navigation season is underway after the first tows reached St. Paul, Minn., on March 23.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff locked the Kirby Corp. vessel Crockett through Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., late in the afternoon, with two barges bound for St. Paul. Four additional tows followed immediately behind.
Lock and Dam 2 is the last lock and dam before St. Paul, making the lockages the unofficial start of the navigation season.
Ice in Lake Pepin, near Red Wing, Minn., traditionally blocks upriver tow traffic until March, with the average first arrival in St. Paul falling around the third week of the month.
This year's opening is in line with historical norms, according to the Corps. The Ingram vessel Neil N. Diehl held that distinction in 2025, arriving on March 20. The earliest recorded first tow reached St. Paul on March 4, a feat accomplished in 1983, 1984, and 2000.
The Corps' St. Paul District maintains the Mississippi River's 9' navigation channel and operates 12 locks and dams supporting river traffic from the Twin Cities south to Guttenberg, Iowa.
The system moves essential commodities, including crops, fuels, and construction materials.
