Water Trails Some of the first water trails following Iowa DNR guidelines will be developed this summer. This page will be a growing resource for canoeists and kayakers to find water trails - segments of rivers and lakes that have been developed in ways friendly toward canoeists and kayakers, where ample warning is provided for known hazards like low-head dams, and where portage exist either to get around hazards or to get from one body of water to another. Check this recently updated map(*pdf) of DNR designated water trails and water trails that are being developed.

Dam locations
Be safe, and be prepared. Accidents, sometimes deadly, occur at low-head dams every year. Check this recently updated map of dams on major rivers in Iowa,*.pdf for the segment of river you plan to use.

Paddle Safe
Iowa DNR wants you to be safe on the water. A good first toward knowing what you need to know on the water in paddlecraft is the American Canoe Associations " SmartStart" brochure,*.pdf (3.1MB). To order paper copies for your group, please e-mail watertrails2@dnr.iowa.gov. Any time you go out on the water, wear your PFD!

Safety Tips

1. Wear a life jacket! They really do save lives, and paddlers are at higher risk of drowning than powerboat users. Remember: it doesn't work if you don't wear it.
   
   
2. Stay alert and be ready to move out of danger. It's important to be aware of your surroundings, especially if you encounter powerboats.
   
   
3. Keep it stable! Leaning shoulders outside the edge of the boat can lead to a capsize. Keep your weight low and balanced over the centerline of the boat.
   
   
4. Don't boat under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Paddling a canoe or kayak requires unimpaired judgment.
   
   
5. Watch for hazards. They may include rocks, low-head dams, heavy current, lighting, and bad weather. Strainers are a type of hazards that block passage but lets water filter through.
   
   
6. Plan to get wet! If you fall out while in the current, back float to shore while keeping your feet on the surface. When weather is cold, you MUST wear warm-when-wet clothing and a wet suit. Keep a change of clothes dry in a dry bag or other waterproof container. Usually, there's no need to end a trip because of swamping a boat - just dump the water out, re-enter, and you're on your way.

Meandered and Non-Meandered Rivers
These terms probably do more to confuse than define, so let's try to make sense of them:

• A Meandered river is one in which adjacent land owners own the land above the high water mark. Land below the high water mark is public, giving citizens the right to explore sandbars at leisure without worry of trespassing.
  
  
• A non-meandered river, on the other hand, is one in which private landowners own all the land adjacent to and underneath the water-including the bottom, sandbars, and banks. Most river miles in Iowa are designated as non-meandered. State law, however, permits activities incidental to navigation on non-meandered rivers, such as, fishing, swimming, and wading when the river is considered navigable. This law also allows for trash clean-ups and the need to portage obstructions in the rivers. View a map of meandered rivers,*pdf and legal boundaries of meandered rivers,*pdf to learn more.
  
  
• A navigable river is defined by state law as one "which can support a vessel capable of carrying one or more persons during a total of a six-month period in one out of every ten years." Most rivers in Iowa are navigable.

Need Help Planning your Trip?
A good way to plan your trip is by using the IDNR Interactive Mapping Services resource. Go to the IMS Guide,*.pdf (2.4MB) for instructions on how to use the Interactive Mapping Services, or access the IMS directly by going to Recreation Map.

Renting canoes and kayaks
Check out our latest listing of places where you can rent a canoe or a kayak:
Canoe & Kayak Rentals,*.pdf

American Canoe Association (ACA) Classes for 2009
To see a schedule of ACA canoe classes the IDNR will be hosting for liveries and naturalists/trip leaders go to DNR Canoe Schools,*.pdf. For a list of ACA paddling classes Iowa Whitewater Coalition is hosting, go to IWC Paddling Classes.

State Designated Water Trails

• Map — Dallas County, North Raccoon River Water Trail,*.pdf
• Map – Cedar Valley Paddlers Trail, Waterloo,*.pdf
• Map – Odessa Water Trail, Louisa County,*.pdf
• Map - Van Buren County, Des Moines Water Trail,*.pdf
• Map - Greene County, North Raccoon River Water Trail,*.pdf
• Map - Hamilton County, Boone River Water Trail,*.pdf
• Map - Polk County, Des Moines River Water Trail,*.pdf
• Map - Buchanan County, Wapsipinicon River Water Trail,*.pdf

New DNR River Maps

• North & South Skunk Rivers, and Big Cedar Creek,*.pdf
• North, South, and Middle Raccoon River,*.pdf
• Little Sioux River, and Mill Creek,*.pdf
• Wapsipinicon River,*.pdf
• West & East Fork Des Moines River, Upper Des Moines River, Lizard Creek and Boone River,*.pdf
• Maquoketa River, North Fork of the Maquoketa River and Whitewater Creek,*.pdf

Other Water Trails

• Big Sioux River Canoe Trail
• Cedar Creek Water Trail
• Cedar Valley Water Trail,*.pdf
• Des Moines River Water Trail, Van Buren County
  - For a brochure and other information contact The Villages of Van Buren at 800-868-7822
• North and South Skunk River (Keokuk to the Mississippi River)
• Skunk River Water Trail
• Skunk River Water Trail (Jefferson County Section)
• Upper Mississippi River