Iowa River — Marengo to Amana: River Level Today — Can You Paddle It?

At 4,340 cfs the Iowa River is still inside the runnable range but within 660 cfs of the 5,000 cfs ceiling for this reach. Water this near the top runs faster and pushier than the same reach mid-range.

Over the last 24 hours it has gone from 3,880 cfs to 4,340 cfs, 12% up. Daily means over the past 7 days have run between 3,900 cfs and 7,170 cfs, 46% lower at the end of the week than the start. The last day and the week as a whole point opposite ways, which usually means a recent rain bump on top of a longer falling trend — worth a second look at the chart before you commit to the drive.

Iowa River at Marengo to Amana is a 18-mile Flatwater float in Iowa — no rapids under normal flows, just moving water and the odd riffle. Most paddlers put in at Marengo and take out at Amana, a trip that runs about 7 hours at a relaxed pace.

Whether it's worth the drive comes down to flow. This section generally paddles well at 300–5,000 cfs (a conservative estimate — see our methodology). Much below that and the Iowa River gets low and bony, so you end up scraping gravel and walking the shallows; well above the top of the range it turns fast, cold and pushy, which is a more serious day than most casual boaters want. We read USGS gauge 05453100 about every 30 minutes and compare the live number to that window, so the verdict at the top of this page reflects conditions right now rather than a monthly average.

Flows here are usually most dependable April–October. Spring can run high after rain or snowmelt, and late summer often drops too low to float well — but the gauge always beats the calendar, so check today's reading before you go.