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South Dakota | Hawarden / Akron Border
Big Sioux River
Carr's Landing to Big Sioux County Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Big Sioux River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch from Carr's Landing and paddle the long lower Big Sioux border-river day segment to Big Sioux County Park near Akron. Use USGS 06485500 at Akron as the lower-corridor gauge and treat 400 cfs as the conservative low-water floor.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Carr's Landing concrete launchGFP's Jay Heath access layer marks Carr's Landing as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, and a concrete launch surface managed by the City of Hawarden.
Take-out
Big Sioux County Park concrete launchGFP's layer marks Big Sioux County Park as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, and a concrete launch surface managed by Plymouth County Conservation Board.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- GFP's Jay Heath access layer marks Carr's Landing as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, and a concrete launch surface managed by the City of Hawarden.
- GFP's layer marks Big Sioux County Park as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, and a concrete launch surface managed by Plymouth County Conservation Board.
- MyCountyParks says Big Sioux Park's ramp is always open, but the road can close during some hunting seasons and during floods; verify the take-out road and ramp before committing to this long segment.
- The route follows the Big Sioux border corridor. Stay within legal public access, respect private banks, and do not treat road crossings, private ramps, or informal banks as casual bailout points.
Watch for
- Shallow bars, scraping, and slow current when the Akron gauge is below the 400 cfs community floor.
- Wood, strainers, bridge debris, bank mud, fences, or wire after rain or high water.
- Agricultural and urban water-quality concerns on the lower Big Sioux, especially after heavy rain or visible runoff.
- A committed 19-mile day with open wind exposure, limited public egress, and muddy or flood-shifted landings.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Big Sioux River at Akron, IA |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 400 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Sioux Empire Paddlers Big Sioux River Akron flow guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Route-specific guideCarr's Landing to Big Sioux County Park by Akron; 19 mi
Sioux Empire Paddlers lists Carr's Landing to Big Sioux County Park by Akron in its Big Sioux Circuit, and the GFP Jay Heath access layer stores Carr's Landing's next segment mileage as 19 water miles.
- Public put-inCarr's Landing concrete launch
The GFP Jay Heath access layer marks Carr's Landing as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, concrete launch surface, and City of Hawarden-managed.
- Public take-outBig Sioux County Park concrete launch
The GFP Jay Heath access layer marks Big Sioux County Park as Parking Yes, Launch Yes, Camping No, concrete launch surface, and Plymouth County Conservation Board-managed. MyCountyParks separately says Big Sioux Park provides paddling and boating opportunities, a concrete boat ramp, and a gravel parking lot.
- Lower-corridor gaugeUSGS 06485500
USGS operates the Big Sioux River at Akron, IA, the lower-corridor gauge named by the local Akron flow guidance. During implementation review, Water Services returned 524 cfs and 5.00 ft at 2026-08-07 14:00 CDT.
- Low-water floor400 cfs minimum-only
Sioux Empire Paddlers lists Big Sioux River Akron Iowa as ideal above 400 cfs. The app uses that lower-corridor guidance as a minimum-only floor and does not infer an upper cutoff.
- Camping statusNearby basecamp only
GFP's access layer marks both Carr's Landing and Big Sioux County Park as Camping No. Nearby River's Bend Wildlife Area and Akron City Park campground records support separate basecamp options, but route copy does not infer informal river camping or endpoint camping.
- Access and flood caveatBig Sioux Park ramp open; road may close
MyCountyParks says Big Sioux Park's ramp is always open but the road can close during some hunting seasons and floods. Check current county conditions before using this as the take-out.
- Safety contextFence, wood, water-quality, wind, private-bank, and distance context
GFP warns that fences cross many navigable South Dakota streams, and Friends of the Big Sioux points paddlers toward current river access and water-quality resources. Treat the route as a committed Carr's-to-Big-Sioux-County-Park day segment.
- Gallery imageNo image selected
Bounded review of SD GFP, Sioux Empire Paddlers, Plymouth County/MyCountyParks, Wikimedia Commons, and same-route image leads did not find a clearly rights-clean exact-route reusable gallery asset.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- South Dakota GFP Jay Heath Trail map PDF
- South Dakota GFP paddling
- Jay Heath canoe trail launch sites FeatureServer
- Sioux Empire Paddlers Big Sioux Circuit
- Sioux Empire Paddlers river flow rates
- Big Sioux Park boating
- River's Bend Wildlife Area
- USGS 06485500 Big Sioux River at Akron
- Friends of the Big Sioux maps and resources
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Big Sioux River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Big Sioux River?
Paddle Today watches Big Sioux River at Akron, IA and uses 400 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Big Sioux River route start and end?
This route starts at Carr's Landing concrete launch and ends at Big Sioux County Park concrete launch, about About 19 mi on the water.
Is this Big Sioux River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.