Plan your day trip or your weekend paddle adventure with this guide to Iowa’s Maquoketa River.

The Maquoketa traverses the diverse landscape of Eastern Iowa and passes through several Iowa treasures: Backbone State Park, Manchester Whitewater Course, Lake Delhi, Indian Bluffs State Wildlife Management Area, Pictured Rocks County Park, Maquoketa Caves State Park, and finally reaches the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The guide provides information on river mileage, access points, campgrounds, and more. Six sections of the river are described and mapped in detail.

The guide is also available for pick up at no-charge from several Northeast and Eastern Iowa locations. It can be downloaded in PDF format at: https://northeastiowarcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Maquoketa-River-Paddlers-Guide.pdf

This guide was developed in partnership with the Delaware Crossing and Grant Wood Scenic Byway Boards and designed by Northeast Iowa RC&D with input from the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau, Iowa DNR Wildlife Bureau, local landowners, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, local livery owners, and river users. This guide was made possible through generous contributions and grants from Iowa Tourism, Community Foundation of Jackson County, Jones County Community Foundation, Foundation for the Future of Delaware County, Jackson County Conservation, City of Manchester, Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) – Iowa Byways Sustainability Project / Grant Wood Scenic Byway & Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway, and through Jackson County Area Tourism Association. 

Your purchase of this map through our website directly benefits the watershed and water trail projects that Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development has worked to develop since 1987. Northeast Iowa RC&D is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Postville, IA.