See all 4 routes on Middle River
Iowa | Central Iowa
Middle RiverSchildberg Access to Roseman Covered Bridge Access
Official Middle River Water Trail leg from Highway 92 to Roseman Covered Bridge, with timbered valleys, open pasture, scattered riffles, chutes, and a shale ledge above the P53 bridge.
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 from Schildberg Access #78 and take out at Roseman Covered Bridge Access #71. This official Middle River Water Trail section is short enough for a focused half-day, but the chutes, riffles, and shale ledge keep it more technical than a simple float.
Access map
Put-in
Schildberg Access #78 / Highway 92Schildberg is a walk-down canoe/kayak access on river left near the northeast corner of the Highway 92 bridge.
Take-out
Roseman Covered Bridge Access #71Roseman is a paved carry-down access at the covered bridge area; use the signed water-trail access rather than informal bridge-bank paths.
Road shuttle
Use a short rural vehicle shuttle between the Highway 92 Schildberg access and Roseman Bridge Road / Elmwood Avenue. Follow posted water-trail signs and confirm parking before unloading.
Additional access notes
- The Indianola gauge is the official flow reference for Adair / Madison County but is downstream, so local rainfall and on-site scouting still matter.
More route and safety guidance
- The official Middle River map ties the route to a narrow 600-900 cfs optimum band at the Indianola gauge; be conservative above or below that band.
- Scout the shale ledge and bridge approaches from shore if the line is not obvious, especially after rain or when the downstream gauge is outside the published band.
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
Middle River near Indianola, 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 | Middle River near Indianola, 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 | 600 cfs to 900 cfs |
| Low threshold | 600 cfs |
| High threshold | 900 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Iowa DNR / Middle River Water Trail map optimum-flow note |
| 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 routeAccess #78 to Access #71
Madison County says Roseman Covered Bridge Access is about 7 river miles downstream from Schildberg Access, through timbered valleys and open pasture.
- Endpoint supportSchildberg and Roseman accesses
The Middle River Water Trail map lists Schildberg Access #78 and Roseman Access #71 with carry-down canoe access, surface type, distance to next access, gradient, estimated time, and UTM coordinates.
- Optimum flow600 to 900 cfs
The official map says optimum flow for Adair / Madison County is 600 to 900 cfs at the Indianola station and points paddlers to USGS real-time Middle River data.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05486490
USGS operates Middle River near Indianola, IA, a downstream same-river station that the official water-trail map uses for the Adair / Madison County optimum-flow note.
- HazardsChutes, riffles, shale ledge
Madison County calls out a moderately challenging shale ledge a few hundred yards upstream of the P53 bridge, along with chutes and riffles across this reach.
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 Middle 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.