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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 snapshot
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
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
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
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.
Put-in
Brookwood Park non-motorized boat rampOpen mapBrookwood 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 accessOpen mapThe Janesville coordinate is anchored to the Janesville USGS / city-park access corridor because a surveyed ramp point was not published in the sources reviewed.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
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
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Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
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 |
| Data confidence 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
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
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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
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.