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 miles later. Along the way, paddlers will be treated to very intimate stretches of the river with obstacles to dodge and outcrops to ogle at. Multiple accesses allow for abbreviating this trip, but taking out at the Lower Dam requires a 600′ portage around the Upper Dam.
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Trip Report Date: October 18, 2023
Skill Level: Beginner
Class Difficulty: Riffles
Gradient:
≈4.5′ per mile
Gauge Recorded on this Trip:
Decorah: ht/ft: n/a | cfs: 90
Recommended Levels:
This is the lowest recommended level. You’ll want a minimum of 150 cfs to avoid the outskirts of Scrape City.
Put-In:
Trout Run Park, Decorah, Iowa
GPS: 43.29095, -91.75879
Take-Out:
Lower Dam off Lower Dam Road
GPS: 43.34052, -91.64307
Time: Put in at 10:30a. Out at 3:30p.
Total Time: 5h
Miles Paddled: 13
Wildlife:
A lot of bald eagles, a couple ospreys, one pheasant, and one feral cat (possibly after the pheasant.)
Shuttle Information:
9.7 miles for bicycle or vehicle. While the route is the same for two wheels or four, bicyclists will find a welcome trail that runs parallel to the road in between the River Road and Clay Hill accesses, at 260th Street, that can be taken all the way to Trout Run Park. Note: The road to the Lower Dam is primitive and wide enough for one-way traffic only. We drove with a trailer and were fine – but it was mid-week in mid-October, hardly peak times for paddling or fishing.
Background:
This trip is like a big old bowl of gumbo; it’s got a little bit of everything in it, from a controversial Walmart to the municipal wastewater plant, not just one but two historic dams on the otherwise wild and free-flowing Upper Iowa River, a golf course, a 4-H camp, and an old truss bridge. Plus cedar- and pine-lined bluffs, gorgeous rock walls and outcrops, big boulders, frisky riffles, unique rapids, and flat pools. Just don’t forget the hot sauce or say please and thank you.
For reasons I don’t remember now but that made sense at the time, we deviated from the script of Paddling Iowa, which lays out one trip from Trout Run Park to the Upper Dam and then a different trip from the Lower Dam to the Iverson Bridge landing. Omitted is the 4.6-mile section in between the dams, although author Nate Hoogeveen does mention this as an aside. We definitely wanted to “through-paddle” the dams, but not knowing what kind of “good trouble” we might get ourselves into (thank you, John Lewis), we thought it best to hedge and start downstream from Trout Run Park. Thus, we launched from an easy-to-miss landing at 2940 River Road for an 8.5-mile trip. We were off the water and shuttle-ready by 2pm. By then, the sun had come out and we were jazzed. (It drizzled within five minutes of our initial launch, hours earlier.) Aided and abetted by adequate amounts of time, inclination, and libations, what do two dudes do with nowhere else to be and nothing else to do? We doubled down, of course, and paddled the left-out link from Trout Run to River Road.
Kindly bear in mind that we had a vehicle still at the River Road landing, where we’d started that morning, which is in between Trout Run and the Lower Dam. So, leaving the latter we casually drove past the River Road landing and down to Trout Run. If this is being read with a blank stare, think of it like this: Trout Run is A, River Road is B and the Lower Dam is C. We first paddled B to C and now wanted to tack on A to B. For anyone who’s spent time contemplating the logistics of shuttling, you’ll appreciate the unique magic inherent in having a vehicle already at a take-out ahead of time – especially when that vehicle and that access was the original put-in. Abracadabra!
But to make this trip read better, we’ll start at Trout Run and head all the way down to the Lower Dam.
Overview:
The river access at Trout Run Park is as easy on the eye as it is on the rest of the body. Technically, this is a trailhead for the very popular trail by the same name, so there’s a ton of parking. The best place to access the Upper Iowa River here is where the aptly (though a bit pat) named trout stream Trout Run comes into it. (Right on the nose on that one. But do fish have noses?) Whereas the mile or so leading to Trout Run is bland and developed, hardly any of that is perceived leaving Trout Run. Almost immediately, the swift current whisks you away from Decorah’s industrial corridor and into the countryside, which here is more meadowy than most landscapes along the Upper Iowa. It has an atypical amount of downfall to avoid as well, but averaging 100’ wide, this should not pose a problem. Half a mile downriver a lovely ridge on the left catches your eye. As you get closer, you’ll notice some rock outcrops, small boulders, and slabs at the water’s edge, and then be treated to fun riffles towards the bridge at Clay Hill Road (access on the upstream side, river-left).
After a hairpin bend to the left, a golf course will be visible on the right. Here, the current is next to non-existent – one of several occasions on this trip displaying the classic pool-riffle-pool dynamic. Similarly, the stream will alternate between cozy, zippy side channels and double-wide swells (think shallow). Again, be mindful of monster downfall pileups…and the errant slice echoed by “Fore!” Some modest outcrops follow, together with actual crops and cows. This is brief, however, for soon the river will slip through a wooded ridge again and riffles will guide you to the next bridge, the first of three total where River Road crosses over.
The next mile is especially scenic, and the geology show starts in earnest. A long, tall ridge flanks the river on the right, and it is positively studded with rock outcrops and massive slabs that have calved from above now bathing ankle-deep below. The second bridge at River Road appears next, where there’s access on the upstream side, river-right. (This is called “Seegmiller,” but better dubbed “Steve Miller” given all the eagles.) For point of reference, it’s been about 4.75 miles from Trout Run, and it’s 3 miles from here to the Upper Dam. In other words, either of these would make delightful after-work paddles come summer.
The wooded ridge on the right disappears, but is replaced by an even taller wall on the left that the river skates past in a long ‘s’ curve where a scrappy island braids two riffly channels. This is plenty to attract and captivate your eyes, even if your ears take in the din of a quarry off to the right. (Side note: this was my fourth time to Decorah, but I’d never known just how many quarries there are in the area. Dequarrah?) The river makes two huge loops in between River Road and the Upper Dam. Seen from above, it’s like a big letter ‘m.’ On the second of these, the river passes a very attractive bluff on the left bejeweled with rock outcrops, a natural spring, and a long wrap-around wall of limestone essentially leading to the lip of the dam. You’ll have nothing but time to take it all in, as there is zero current at this point. The warning signs and portage trail are all well-marked. The trail around the dam and back to the water is on the right-hand side and about 600’ long. It’s not exactly steep, but if your boat is loaded, then the schlep might feel like tough sledding.
The two dams, Upper and Lower, were both built around the turn of the last century to capture the hydropower of the swift river to run mills and later provide electricity to the growing towns. But a few decades later, burning coal was cheaper than the costly upkeep of two dams. As Jason Isbell sings, “’Cause the hammer needs a nail, and the poor man’s up for sale.” Both dams were decommissioned in 1958 and then half a century later got pulverized in the 2008 floods. Last spring, April 2023, the Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development organization held a public hearing about mitigation – a fine idea about dam time. (Sorry, had to. Just once I swear.) Today, the DNR owns the dams, and according to the Director of River Programs at the Iowa DNR – a man named… wait for it… Nate Hoogeveen* – there likely will be new fish passage improvements on both dams in the near future. Whether this means that paddlers also will have a way through (and not portage around) remains to be seen. What’s good for the bass…
* No, a different Nate Hoogeveen who also happens to know a lot about Iowa rivers – of course it’s the same guy! Thanks Google!
Back on the water, the view upstream is impressive. There’s the thrush of the water going over the dam, but when you take in the dilapidated concrete, this must be a kittenish whisper compared to the lion’s roar of violent rampage in the 2008 flood. The same rock wall on river-left continues below the dam, which in turn leads to the next bridge on River Road and another run of swift riffles now that the river has come back to life. An especially scenic stretch awaits downstream from the bridge, where the river swings to the left. In quick succession you’ll see comely rock outcrops on the right lined by pine trees at their crown that extend for half a mile. Next is a suspension footbridge spanning the river that’s part of a 4-H Camp. While I myself don’t have children, I was a child once myself, and I can imagine how thrilling it must be for these kiddos to brave this bridge over the river, head, heart, hands, health and all. Finally, a perfectly small and very appealing campground called Ehrie’s Riversedge comes next, on the left, with attractive sites facing the river, rock outcrops, and chattering riffles. Pockets of rock outcrops appear now and again in a half-mile straightaway leading to the attractive truss bridge at 143rd Avenue (complete with what appears to be one of the original abutments from an even earlier, more primitive bridge). Here, the current is all slow pool. Just after the bridge on the right is the mouth of so-called Trout River, which is a brook you could literally jump over, but I digress.
As things often end similarly to how they began, the landscape for the next couple miles is meadowy again. The river does something different here: it flows north then east with hardly a meander at all. While River Road is directly alongside you on the left, this is one of the wilder-feeling segments of the Upper Iowa River this close to Decorah. This is part of the shuttle route, so it’s always fun to see where you’ll be or have been from a different perspective. Besides, it’s a lightly trafficked road. The effects of the Lower Dam are multifaceted and more complex than at the Upper Dam. For starters, you’ll see tree stumps in the middle of the river. Unless we’re in a cypress swamp down south, since when do trees grow in water? (And you thought I was being cute about the gumbo metaphor.) Secondly, where the river is shallow you’ll see exposed clusters of hardened silt, at times resembling shelves or shoals, that have the effect of rocks and light rapids. Presumably, this is from gradual draw-downs in water levels since the massive Lower Dam no longer serves a purpose. Elsewhere, there’s no current at all; find me a river that isn’t fickle? You’ll need to read the river here to choose the best line where there’s enough water; it can get real low, real quick.
At a gentle bend to the right, behind the road, is a gorgeous fortress of exposed limestone along a bluff. But then river and road go their separate ways, and now the landscape really feels exotic. More “reefs” of “calcified silt” lie scattered for a spell, funneling the river in fun, swift chutes. “Rustle Shoals?” But then it’s all just deep pool and no current as you get closer to the dam. Big boulders and hillsides enter the mainframe, as does an abandoned bridge foundation. One last hairpin turn to the right around a wooded bluff and the dam trip is pretty much done. (Ugh.) The structure of the Lower Dam is impressive, but be very careful about getting too close to it. One can infer that the river in between the two dams is seldom paddled for a couple reasons: the signage is useless – either inconspicuously hidden in trees or pointing towards no discernible portage trail or take-out. It’s on river-left, and you’ll need to use your own reckoning for the best spot out and way up the steep hill that’s closest to the parking area. Worth doing? Absolutely.
Fun fact: the original gate of the dam is today a sculpture at Trout Run Park. As you return there, you can appreciate the size and scale of things, now that you’ve seen from whence it came.
What we liked:
We loved this trip! It’s truly a one of a kind. It’s got lots of riffles and rock outcrops, awfully pretty tree-lined bluffs, and a real sense of adventure. I’ve been earnestly curious about this stretch of the Upper Iowa River for ten years now, and it did not disappoint!
There are three configurations of recreational paddling: solo, tandem, or group. Each has its own appeal, of course, and like anything its own slate of advantages and disadvantages. Although nowhere near as much as I used to, I paddle alone a lot. More often it’s with one other – my partner, Katie, when it’s warm-enough; my buddy and Big Chief, T, during the winter months when it’s not unbearably cold; and my brother from another mother, Scotty, whenever our schedules align throughout the year. A couple times a year – usually when it seems like summer will never end, or that one last waltz in autumn – there’ll be a flotilla from six to sixteen. This topic could inspire an essay all its own, elsewhere. The reason I mention it here and now is this combo trip was not only inspired by paddling with another – Scotty – it was made possible by him and because of him. Had I been alone, there’s no way I would have double-shuttled and tacked on another 5 miles in the mid-afternoon of mid-October. But he thought we should, and I thought he was right. For a guy with a solo canoe who often decides where to go and paddles alone, this was such a beautiful thing!
What we didn’t like:
The river was low – not too low, but still low. A couple more inches of water only would’ve made this trip more enjoyable.
Honestly, the only thing we didn’t like was the poor signage and access at the Lower Dam.
If we did this trip again:
We’d do this trip again in a heartbeat – thump, thump. For real. Other than the low level, we wouldn’t do a dam thing differently. Hey-o!
***************
Related Information:
Upper Iowa River I: Lime Springs to Highway 30
Upper Iowa River II: Highway 30 to Kendallville
Upper Iowa River III: Kendallville to Bluffton
Upper Iowa River IV: Chimney Rock Road to Malanaphy Springs
Upper Iowa River V: Malanaphy Springs to Trout Run Park
Upper Iowa River VII: Lower Dam to Iverson Bridge Road
Upper Iowa River VIII: Iverson Bridge Road to Kumpf Access
General: Decorah Tourism
General: Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
General: Upper Iowa River Watershed Project
Guide: Paddling Iowa by Nate Hoogeveen
Guide: Upper Iowa River Paddling
Outfitter: Chimney Rock
Outfitter: Hruska’s Canoe Livery
Outfitter: Hutchinson Family Farms
Outfitter: Randy’s Bluffton Store
Wikipedia: Upper Iowa River
Photo Gallery:
No Comments