Upper Iowa River
- Moderate
- difficulty
- Apr, Jun–Oct
- best months
The Upper Iowa River is a fishing destination in northeast Iowa, about a third of a mile from the town of Bluffton. It is managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the trip is rated moderate in difficulty. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to plan a visit. Typical averages from the nearby Decorah weather station show July highs around 84°F with lows near 63°F, and September highs around 76°F with lows near 52°F. Winters are cold, with January highs averaging 28°F. For more to do close by, Chimney Rocks, a climbing area, is about 2 miles away. Canoe Creek, a canoeing spot, is roughly 7 miles off.
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Volga RiverRiver fishing · ~1h 5m drive
- Rush CreekRiver fishing · ~1h 7m drive
- Paint CreekRiver fishing · ~1h 11m drive
- Mississippi RiverRiver fishing · ~1h 21m drive
- Goose LakeLake fishing · ~58 min drive
- Duck LakeLake fishing · ~58 min drive
- Target LakeLake fishing · ~1h 11m drive
- Founders PondLake fishing · ~1h 13m drive
Best time to visit Upper Iowa River
Best months: April and June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
28° / 10°
8 wet · 6 snow
Feb
33° / 14°
6 wet · 5 snow
Mar
46° / 26°
8 wet · 3 snow
Apr
61° / 37°
12 wet · 1 snow
May
72° / 48°
13 wet
Jun
81° / 59°
12 wet
Jul
84° / 63°
10 wet
Aug
83° / 61°
10 wet
Sep
76° / 52°
9 wet
Oct
63° / 40°
9 wet
Nov
47° / 28°
8 wet · 2 snow
Dec
33° / 17°
8 wet · 5 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Decorah, IA, 9.1 mi away at 860 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
