One of the more popular rivers to paddle in the Upper Minnesota River Basin, the Chippewa River twists and turns down to Montevideo. Established in 2000 as a state water trail, the Dakota called this river Maya-waka-wapan, or "remarkable river with steep places." Bluffs up to 200 feet high add to the beauty of the river as its heavily wooded banks meander through the farmland of southwestern Minnesota.