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Iowa | Iowa City Area
Iowa River
Sturgis Ferry Park to Hills Access
Check current paddling conditions for this Iowa 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
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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
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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 at Sturgis Ferry Park and finish at Hills Access for the first Johnson County Iowa River Water Trail segment. Expect a more developed Iowa City start, then quieter bottomland miles before the county-ramp finish at Hills.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Sturgis Ferry Park boat ramp (Iowa City)Sturgis Ferry Park is an official city boat-ramp park, but the saved point is tied to the park address rather than a separate launch GIS record, so expect to orient inside the park on arrival.
Take-out
Hills Access & Campground (Johnson County Conservation)Hills Access has stronger endpoint detail than most county take-outs, including a published coordinate, boat-ramp confirmation, campground operations information, and vault toilets.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Sturgis Ferry Park is an official city boat-ramp park, but the saved point is tied to the park address rather than a separate launch GIS record, so expect to orient inside the park on arrival.
- Hills Access has stronger endpoint detail than most county take-outs, including a published coordinate, boat-ramp confirmation, campground operations information, and vault toilets.
- Johnson County notes that the area east of the river at Hills is archery- or falconry-only for hunting, so treat side exploration near the take-out conservatively during hunting seasons.
Watch for
- Fresh sweepers, downed trees, or floating debris after rain.
- Muddy or soft banks at breaks and at the Hills take-out.
- A longer-feeling day than the difficulty label suggests if the gauge is hovering near the floor.
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 | Iowa River at Iowa 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 |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Partial source data |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Johnson County Iowa River Clean Up history for the Sturgis Ferry to Hills reach |
| 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 route9.25 miles
Johnson County publishes Sturgis Ferry Park to Hills Access as the opening Johnson County segment of the Iowa River Water Trail.
- Access supportCity launch to county ramp
Iowa City lists Sturgis Ferry Park with a boat ramp, parking, restrooms, and a 2024 renovation, while Johnson County says Hills Access has a boat ramp, parking, water, restrooms, playground, and camping.
- Observed working levelsOfficial events at 200 to 830 cfs
Johnson County cleanup records show this exact Sturgis Ferry to Hills route running at 200, 228, 281, 420, 804, and 830 cfs. The app uses 200 cfs only as a conservative floor, not as a claimed sweet spot.
- Route characterUrban edge into bottomland forest
Johnson County describes the first half as light industry and cabin-lined banks, with longer forested bottomland miles in the latter half.
- Take-out operationsSeasonal campground and ramp support
Johnson County says Hills Access offers a boat ramp, vault toilets, water, playground, and seasonal camping, with the campground typically open from April 15 to October 15.
- Shore-use caveatArchery / falconry use east of the river
Johnson County notes that the area east of the Iowa River at Hills Access is limited to archery or falconry hunting only, which is useful context if you are exploring around the take-out.
- Decision styleConservative low-floor only
This route has stronger access support than threshold support. Use the gauge to avoid obvious low-water days, then judge debris, mud, and recent weather the same day.
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
Iowa River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Iowa River?
Paddle Today watches Iowa River at Iowa 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 Iowa River route start and end?
This route starts at Sturgis Ferry Park boat ramp (Iowa City) and ends at Hills Access & Campground (Johnson County Conservation), about 9.25 mi on the water.
Is this Iowa 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.