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Iowa | North Central Iowa
Cedar River
Osage Spring Park to Road T38 Access
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
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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 at Osage Spring Park and paddle the short Cedar connector to Road T38. The route fills the gap between the Osage Spring card and the existing T38-to-Idlewild card while foregrounding the low footbridge hazard.
Put-in
Osage Spring ParkOpen mapThe guide says shallow rock riffles are frequent at the beginning of the reach.
Take-out
Road T38 AccessOpen mapSunny Brae Country Club has a low pontoon footbridge that may require a short carry depending on water level and is specifically described as a sweeper hazard.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The guide says shallow rock riffles are frequent at the beginning of the reach.
- Sunny Brae Country Club has a low pontoon footbridge that may require a short carry depending on water level and is specifically described as a sweeper hazard.
- Road T38 is the planned take-out unless the downstream Idlewild route is also staged.
Watch for
- Low pontoon footbridge, shallow rock riffles, and possible scraping.
- Wood, bridge debris, faster current after rain, and private banks.
- Proxy-gauge limitations because Charles City is downstream of this short Osage-area reach.
Route gallery
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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 Charles City, 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 | 200 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Data confidence behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Cedar River Paddling Trips Otranto-to-Janesville guide |
| 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.
- Official route and mileageOsage Spring Park to Road T38 Access, 2.9 mi
The Cedar River Paddling Trips guide lists Osage Spring Park to Road T38 Access as 2.9 miles and publishes coordinates for both endpoints.
- Footbridge hazardLow pontoon footbridge at Sunny Brae
The guide says the low pontoon footbridge may require a short carry depending on level and explicitly calls it a sweeper hazard.
- Current gauge checkUSGS 05457700 1,270 cfs / 3.87 ft
USGS Water Services returned current Cedar River at Charles City data at 2026-07-23 19:30 CDT during this run.
- Water-trail contextMitchell County Cedar River Water Trail
Mitchell County identifies Road T38/255 as a Cedar River Water Trail access point south of Osage.
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.
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Quick answers
Cedar River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cedar River?
Paddle Today watches Cedar River at Charles City, IA and uses 200 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Cedar River route start and end?
This route starts at Osage Spring Park and ends at Road T38 Access, about 2.9 mi on the water.
Is this Cedar 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.