See all 6 routes on North Fork Maquoketa River
Iowa | Northeast Iowa
North Fork Maquoketa RiverOzark Bridge / 21st Ave to Caven Bridge Access
Short Ozark Wildlife Area run on the North Fork Maquoketa, with steep Driftless bluffs, boulders, easy riffles, and a direct Fulton gauge ladder.
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 the Ozark Bridge / 21st Ave access area near 185th Street and take out at the east-bank Caven Bridge Access on 60th Ave. This short Ozark Wildlife Area route has fast current, easy riffles, boulders, and steep Driftless bluffs.
Access map
Put-in
Ozark Bridge / 21st Ave access areaOzark Bridge is an undeveloped access rather than a managed ramp. Jackson County marks it as not managed by JCCB, and WRT describes using a public pull-off and faint trail near 185th Street instead of the tall bridge bank.
Take-out
Caven Bridge Access / 60th AveCaven Bridge Access is the named public take-out at 60th Ave, but the bridge has been removed. Use the east-bank public side; WRT notes the west bank is private and requires permission.
Road shuttle
Use a short but hilly gravel-road two-car shuttle between the 21st Ave / 185th Street access area and the east-bank Caven Bridge Access at 60th Ave. Scout the take-out first because the old bridge is gone and west-bank use is private.
Additional access notes
- Coordinates come from Jackson County water-trail table coordinates rounded to two decimals. Use road names, signs, and same-day scouting to pinpoint the practical launch and carry-out paths.
More route and safety guidance
- Ozark Bridge / 21st Ave is an undeveloped public pull-off and faint-trail access rather than a managed ramp. Caven is the named east-bank public take-out; the west bank is private.
- The old Caven bridge is gone, and both gravel-road approaches can be steep or muddy. Scout the carry paths and vehicle turnaround before committing to the short route.
- Use only public road-right-of-way and water-trail access, wear a properly fitted PFD, and account for cold water, fast rises, limited cell service, and private-property boundaries.
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
North Fork Maquoketa River near Fulton, 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 | North Fork Maquoketa River near Fulton, 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 | 231 cfs to 400 cfs |
| Low threshold | 150 cfs |
| High threshold | 701 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin River Trips North Fork Maquoketa Ozark gauge ladder |
| 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 access tableOzark Bridge and Caven Bridge Access
Jackson County Conservation lists Ozark Bridge as an undeveloped North Fork water-trail access near 21st Ave / 187th Street and Caven Bridge Access at 60th Ave, with coordinates published for both access areas.
- County river contextCascade to Ozark / Caven corridor
Jones County describes the North Fork below Cascade as a remote scenic paddling corridor and says paddlers can take out in Jackson County at Ozark Bridge on 21st Ave or Caven Bridge Access on 60th Ave.
- Published route report21st Ave / 185th Street to 60th Ave
Wisconsin River Trips documents this 4.4-mile Ozark Wildlife Area route with steep bluffs, boulders, swift current, easy Class I riffles, and undeveloped public east-bank access notes.
- Target range231 to 400 cfs
WRT treats 231 to 300 cfs as average and good for paddling, and 301 to 400 cfs as above average but still good, using the North Fork Maquoketa River near Fulton gauge.
- Low and high cutoffs<150 cfs / 701+ cfs
The same route ladder says less than 150 cfs may be too shallow and 701 to 1000 cfs is very high, perhaps only suitable for advanced paddlers; the app uses 701+ cfs as the broad recreational high-water cutoff.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05418400
USGS operates North Fork Maquoketa River near Fulton, IA, a live same-river gauge downstream of the Ozark Wildlife Area route and the gauge used by the route report.
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 North Fork Maquoketa River
All 6Nearby 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.