I took a group of Girl Scouts and some adult advisors on a canoe trip this weekend. We floated the Iowa River from Wapello to Cappy Russell River Access (just upriver from Oakville). We had originally intended on going all the way to Ferry Landing Park, where the Iowa joins the Mississippi, but the wind held us up. The wind was really fierce for about a third of the miles gusting about 20 mph according to the Weather Service, alternately hitting us with white caps and then dropping away to a light breeze. The girls, all about 13 years old, did a great job just putting their backs into the paddling when needed and playing around when the effort wasn't needed. These were girls I had instructed earlier, either this year or last, and I was as pleased as punch with their performance!

The river is wide, shallow, and sandy. Some maneuvering around sand bars is required but there is a nice current to help you along. We saw an eagle and lots of herons. The trip was just shy of 12 miles, and we were on the water for about 6 hours including our stops (we like sand bars!). The 16 miles to Ferry Landing would have been a good choice if we hadn't gotten so tied up in the wind.

I found out about this stretch of river from the book "Paddling Iowa," a very useful book published this spring.  If you paddle in Iowa you really should get a copy.

Pam