See all 4 routes on Iowa River
Iowa | Iowa City Area
Iowa RiverSturgis Ferry Park to Hills Access
Straightforward Johnson County water-trail day from Iowa City to Hills. The access story is strong and the Iowa City gauge is direct, but the threshold model stays conservative because there is no published paddling ladder for this reach.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
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.
Access map
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.
Road shuttle
Two-car shuttle is the practical choice. The road shuttle is simple, so stage the take-out vehicle at Hills before launching from Iowa City.
Additional access notes
- 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.
More route and safety guidance
- Use Sturgis Ferry Park and Hills Access as the public endpoints; keep stops to public access land or clearly legal shore because soft banks and nearby private or managed-use areas make informal landings a poor fallback.
- The route has no published upper paddling band, so treat recent rain, muddy water, floating wood, and soft take-out conditions as same-day go/no-go checks even when the Iowa City gauge clears the low floor.
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampDetailed weather
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
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
Iowa River at Iowa City, 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.
Share a recent access update, hazard observation or photo.
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.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- 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 | 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 |
| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 200 cfs |
| High threshold | Water-level guidance unavailable |
| 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 |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
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.
Other routes nearby
More on Iowa River
All 4Nearby routes within 75 miles
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.