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Iowa | Cedar Valley
Cedar River
Brookwood Park to Janesville City Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Cedar 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
Checking weather.
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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 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.
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
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.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Brookwood Park is downstream of Waverly dam exposure; do not launch above the dam or paddle upstream toward dam hydraulics.
- The Janesville coordinate is anchored to the Janesville USGS / city-park access corridor because a surveyed ramp point was not published in the sources reviewed.
- Use only signed public accesses and respect private banks between towns.
Watch for
- High or fast-rising water above the 3,000 cfs range top.
- Bridge current, sweepers, floating wood, shallow gravel at low water, and cold spring flows.
- Changing take-out conditions around Janesville after storms.
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.
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 | Cedar River at Janesville, 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 |
| Target band | 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 |
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.
- Current gauge check2,540 cfs / 3.23 ft at 2026-07-22 20:45 CDT
USGS Water Services returned current Janesville discharge and stage during this run.
- 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.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Cedar River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cedar River?
Paddle Today watches Cedar River at Janesville, IA and treats 250 cfs to 3,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Cedar River route start and end?
This route starts at Brookwood Park non-motorized boat ramp and ends at Janesville City Park / Janesville access, about About 10.1 mi on the water.
Is this Cedar River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.