About this river
Upper Iowa River is a 27.4 mile river near Bigfoot Canoe Rental in Iowa. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Upper Iowa River near Dorchester, IA (site 05388250). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1939 to 2026
Upper Iowa River typically runs highest in April, at a median 839 cfs, and lowest in January, at 220 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 28,400 cfs, in 2008.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 220 | 159 to 352 | |
| February | 243 | 177 to 359 | |
| March | 671 | 385 to 1,360 | |
| April | 839 | 496 to 1,445 | |
| May | 756 | 492 to 1,200 | |
| June | 703 | 439 to 1,295 | |
| July | 501 | 330 to 1,020 | |
| August | 411 | 282 to 585 | |
| September | 362 | 239 to 535 | |
| October | 322 | 219 to 518 | |
| November | 325 | 214 to 515 | |
| December | 264 | 190 to 387 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 52 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Upper Iowa River near Dorchester, IA (site 05388250). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
2 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Upper Iowa River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Wild LandingUpper Iowa RiverPublic
- Black Hawk PointUpper Iowa RiverPublic
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