Taking out a canoe or kayak during the frigid weather can provide solitude, exercise, and an opportunity to see some of Iowa’s amazing natural beauty, but unless you’ve got the proper gear, keep those watercraft in the shed until next spring.
Todd Robertson, the river programs outreach coordinator for the Iowa DNR, says only experienced paddlers who are equipped for extremely cold water should venture out onto Iowa’s lakes and streams at this stage.
“It’s not that people can’t go paddling, it’s that you have to know your skill level,” Robertson says. “You have to be fully prepared for immersion. You have to wear the right gear. You have to know how to read a river.”
That also means never paddling alone. He says water temperatures in most areas of Iowa are in the 40s right now.
“When the temperature of the water is 60 degrees or below, you are automatically at risk for hypothermia if you become wet,” Robertson says. “That’s why if I go out and paddle, I’m at least bare minimum wearing my full-body wetsuit or better yet, a dry suit, because I need that extra protection to buy me time to get out of the water.”
Cold water shock and hypothermia can set in quickly, Robertson says.
He recommends paddlers always wear a life jacket, let a friend or loved one know where you’re going and when you’ll be back, and bring a dry bag with extra clothing to change into should you get wet.
Find the DNR’s interactive paddling map HERE: