See all 25 routes on Cedar River
Iowa | Cedar Valley
Cedar RiverBrookwood Park to Janesville City Park
Ten-mile Cedar River day run from Waverly Brookwood Park to Janesville, using the direct Janesville gauge and official local paddling-map access notes.
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch from Brookwood Park in Waverly and paddle the Cedar River downstream to Janesville. The Janesville gauge is direct for this reach, but same-day wood and bridge conditions still matter.
Access map
Put-in
Brookwood Park non-motorized boat rampBrookwood Park is downstream of Waverly dam exposure; do not launch above the dam or paddle upstream toward dam hydraulics.
Take-out
Janesville City Park / Janesville accessThe Janesville coordinate is anchored to the Janesville USGS / city-park access corridor because a surveyed ramp point was not published in the sources reviewed.
Road shuttle
Stage a vehicle at Janesville City Park or the signed Janesville access corridor, then drive back to Brookwood Park in Waverly. Verify local ramp and park status before launching.
Additional access notes
- Use only signed public accesses and respect private banks between towns.
More route and safety guidance
- The Janesville gauge is direct, but it cannot show floating wood, bridge-current changes, or local access closures after storms.
- Treat banks outside signed parks and accesses as private unless posted otherwise.
Plan this paddle
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Conditions
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Gauge source
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Weather
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Short-route forecast
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Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
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Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Cedar River at Janesville, IA. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
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Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
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- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Cedar River at Janesville, IA |
| Discharge | Checking |
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| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
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| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
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| Wind | Checking |
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| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | 250 cfs to 3,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 250 cfs |
| High threshold | 3,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | CanWePaddle Waverly to Janesville estimated range |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-222,540 cfs / 3.23 ft at 2026-07-22 20:45 CDT
This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.
- Threshold range250-3,000 cfs
CanWePaddle ties the Waverly-to-Janesville section to USGS 05458500 and estimates a 250 to 3,000 cfs runnable window.
- Route shape10.1 miles / about 4 hours
The Cedar Valley paddling map identifies Brookwood Park to Janesville City Park as 10.1 miles; CanWePaddle lists the Waverly-to-Janesville run as 10 miles.
- Put-in supportBrookwood Park, 415 6th Ave SE, Waverly
The City of Waverly describes Brookwood Park as along the Cedar River south of the Green Bridge with a non-motorized boat ramp and parking.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Other routes nearby
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All 25Nearby routes within 75 miles
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