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Iowa | Northeast Iowa
Maquoketa River
Manchester Whitewater Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Maquoketa 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
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Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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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
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Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Use Manchester Whitewater Park for a short Maquoketa River play session through six constructed drops in downtown Manchester. The direct Manchester gauge is about one mile downstream and has a published American Whitewater flow ladder.
Prepare this trip
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Put-in
Manchester Whitewater Park access / 300 West Main StreetThis is a whitewater play park rather than a downstream float route; use it as repeated laps unless you separately plan a longer Maquoketa trip.
Take-out
Manchester Whitewater Park take-out / walk-back trailThe city says recreational users need to judge when the river is too much for them and specifically advises proper water shoes, a secured PFD, and a helmet.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- This is a whitewater play park rather than a downstream float route; use it as repeated laps unless you separately plan a longer Maquoketa trip.
- The city says recreational users need to judge when the river is too much for them and specifically advises proper water shoes, a secured PFD, and a helmet.
- Iowa Whitewater publishes a single park coordinate, and the city describes flexible access along the course, so the app uses the public parking/first-feature access as both the put-in anchor and take-out anchor.
Watch for
- Very shallow, scrapey constructed features below about 100 cfs on the Manchester gauge.
- Pushier eddies and increasingly flushy, irregular features above about 1,200 cfs.
- High-water Class III behavior above about 5,000 cfs; keep this outside the broad recreational recommendation.
- Tubers, swimmers, SUPs, anglers, spectators, rocks, and changing feature hydraulics in a busy downtown river park.
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.
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Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Maquoketa River at Manchester, 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 | 200 cfs to 1,200 cfs |
| Low threshold | 100 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Manchester Whitewater Park gauge ladder |
| 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.
- Public access300 West Main Street
The City of Manchester says public parking is available at 300 West Main Street adjacent to the whitewater park access point and first feature.
- Course designSix 18-inch drops / 800+ ft
The city describes six 18-inch drops over more than 800 feet, with a paved trail for walking back to the start of the course.
- Access coordinates42.482137, -91.458424
Iowa Whitewater identifies Manchester Whitewater Park on the Maquoketa River in Manchester and publishes these latitude/longitude coordinates.
- Target range200 to 1,200 cfs
American Whitewater describes 200-500 cfs as decent low-level play and 500-1,200 cfs as moderate play, while the city recommends below 250 cfs for tubers and recreational kayakers reducing risk.
- Low and high cutoffs<100 cfs / 5,000+ cfs
American Whitewater marks 0-100 cfs as extreme low flow with scrapey features and 5,000-20,000 cfs as high Class III whitewater; the app uses 5,000+ cfs as beyond broad recommendation.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05416900
USGS operates Maquoketa River at Manchester, IA, and American Whitewater says the gauge is about one mile downstream and accurately reflects the playpark flow.
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
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Quick answers
Maquoketa River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Maquoketa River?
Paddle Today watches Maquoketa River at Manchester, IA and treats 200 cfs to 1,200 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Maquoketa River route start and end?
This route starts at Manchester Whitewater Park access / 300 West Main Street and ends at Manchester Whitewater Park take-out / walk-back trail, about About 0.15 to 0.2 mi / 800 to 1,000 ft on the water.
Is this Maquoketa 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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