Lime Springs to Highway 30: A long and mostly slow-going trip with intermittent riffles and simple Class I rapids, this upper stretch of the Upper Iowa River doesn’t glitter with outrageous rock outcrops or bubbling natural springs as its…
Browsing Tag
Iowa
Wapsipinicon State Park to Newport Mills Access: A truly rewarding, picturesque trip that can be extended overnight via sandbar camping – a rarity in Iowa – this segment of the “Wapsi” begins at a handsome, historical state park and…
Elgin to Elkader: A pleasant but by no means spectacular section of the Turkey River in between the towns of Elgin and Elkader, paddlers can expect good wildlife, gravel bars galore, and a mix of meadows with cornfields in…
Cascade to Highway D61: A pleasant trip on a very pretty river, this tine of the Maquoketa River’s North Fork offers a morsel that’s toothsome and scrumptious. Relatively short on account of logistics, combine this trip with four miles…
Highway 30 to Kendallville: A primer trip for the jaw-dropping grandeur that awaits in the subsequent stretches of the photogenic Upper Iowa River, this section features plenty of its own rock outcrops, bluffs, riffles, and light Class I rapids,…
U Avenue to Eldorado: A trifecta paddle that comprises three separate but interrelated rivers in one long day trip, this mini odyssey begins with unabashed grandeur, but soon fizzles and never matches its initial enchantment. Alternate accesses allow paddlers…
Fayette to Heron Road: A truly exquisite experience, this section of the beguiling Volga River will be hard to catch with enough water to paddle, but oh so worth it when serendipity presents itself! Almost entirely enclosed within public…
Iverson Bridge Road to Kumpf Access: A wonderful finale to the mighty Upper Iowa, this section of the river begins and ends with excellent accesses and sublime bluffs unlike any other. In the nine miles between, paddlers will be…
Lower Dam to Iverson Bridge Road: A veritable journey into the very heart and soul of the Upper Iowa River, this long day trip can be shortened by using one of several alternative accesses. I can’t promise that you’ll…
Trout Run Park to Lower Dam: As diverse as a day trip’s portfolio can get, this section of the Upper Iowa begins in an industrialized area outside of downtown Decorah and ends at the historic Lower Dam thirteen river…
Malanaphy Springs to Trout Run Park: Arguably the most ignored section on the Upper Iowa River relative Decorah, this trip does have its dull moments and lots of development, but it has a lot to offer, too, by way…
Millville to Cassville Ferry Landing: The final five miles of the Turkey River to its mouth at the mighty Mississippi, this short trip offers paddlers a small but bite-sized smorgasbord of cool riverine features like soaring bluffs, exposed outcrops,…
Tessmer Canoe Access to Gilbertson Park: With long, lean hillsides, occasional flashes of limestone outcrops, and a peppy current coursing over a sand-gravel bottom, this under-paddled segment of the Turkey River is well worth a peek and a poke.…
185th Street to Highway Y31: For the sake of brevity and bang-for-your-buck alone, this clip on the Maquoketa River’s North Fork is second to none. Astounding natural beauty and an atypical sense of wildness (for Iowa) make this trip…
Elkader to Garber: With wooded ridges and robust bluffs lined down the river one after another, together with limestone rock outcrops, enormous boulders, frisky riffles, a dedicated Class I-II rapid at the put-in, a gorgeous historic mill building midway,…
Have a look at (or shield your eyes, I suppose) at the Little Maquoketa River – a trip rich in potential but poor as dirt in reward unless you enjoy getting in and out of your boat a hundred…
Graf Park to Durango: A trip rich in potential but poor as dirt in reward, this upstream clip of the Little Maquoketa River can only be done at higher water levels (unless you enjoy getting in and out of…
Highway D61 to 60th Avenue: A long stretch of water that is eminently pleasant, this trip has the look and feel of a wild setting, despite its Iowan/agrarian surroundings. However, its length and relative monotony might tax some paddlers. But…
Whitewater Drive to Highway D61: A short stretch of water that is simply stunning in its rugged, essentially undeveloped beauty – defined by bluffs with an outpouring of exposed rock outcrops and stupendous boulders – all while cruising along…
Kendallville to Bluffton: Tall chalky limestone bluffs towering above clear swift water in an almost entirely undeveloped environment, this section of the stunningly picturesque Upper Iowa River showcases the best of its best rock formations that should be on any…
Chimney Rock Road to Malanaphy Springs: Add one part swift water to umpteen parts spectacular limestone cliffs, rock walls, undulating bluffs and a generous heaping of pretty wrought iron bridges, mixed with a couple cups of springs and you…
Mines of Spain to Massey Marina Park: A combination of flatwater, intimate creek within a city park and Mississippi River paddling amongst barges and big bluffs, Catfish Creek is an interesting adventure. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip…
Old Sixteen Road to Highway 76: A quintessential Driftless river blessed with swift, riffly water, gorgeous rock outcrops, rolling hills and superb wildlife, that begins in a private campground with RVs and ends at the Mississippi River past Effigy…
Highway X16 to Old Sixteen Road: A quintessential Driftless river blessed with everything you could hope for: swift, clear, riffly water, gorgeous rock outcrops, rolling hills and superb wildlife. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip Report Date: May 5,…