The  trip from Estherville to Emmetsburg may be done in one or two days.  The West Fork of the Des Moines River is quite challenging when the water is running fast.  Just south of Estherville, the river begins to change directions frequently, making the 6.6 mile direct distance into a 10 mile trip to Peterson Access.  There are many places where downed trees nearly block the river.  I was able to push through the branches, but there needs to be careful attention paid because the snags are above and below the water and could capsize the unwary.  About 4 miles south of Estherville, there is an unmarked barbed wire fence across the river.  If you are on the east side of the river, along the high ground, you can pass under the wire. There is another barbed wire fence just as you come to the A33 bridge. 

The trip from Peterson Access to Basswood Access in Emmetsburg takes one past the long railroad trestle near Graettinger and under the Hwy. B14 bridge.  It is about 7 miles to the bridge, and another 9 miles to Basswood.  The river is somewhat straighter and wider, and there are fewer obstacles, but downed trees present a challenge in several places.  The greenbelt forest is quite deep in many places, and deer are in the forest and in the river, a magnificent sight that I'm going to capture on film.