| These access points and waypoints are the Des Moines River Canoe and Kayak Trail from Minnesota to the Mississippi River... The Dragoons first explored the river in 1835 |
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| Access Name | Directions | Miles to Next | Hazards/Attractions |
| 4th St. Bridge | North on 4th St. about a half mile | 11 | Barbed wire fence across river 4miles s., snags across river, fast water, |
| Peterson | 1/4 mile E. of Wallingford, off Hwy. 4 | 7 | Deer in woods, Long RR trestle near Graettinger |
| 9 | |||
| Basswood | Turn right just S. of the bridge on hwy. 18 | 12 | Pretty hills, lush greenbelt, a few snags, lots of wildlife |
| Mulroney | 2 mi. west of Rodman, turn north on gravel road | 8 | Low water, stay near river bank |
| River Runner | 3.5 mi. w of West Bend on B63, follow signs | 11 | This part of the greenbelt is very scenic |
| Willow | Turn right just S. of the bridge | 8 | The access road is primitive |
| Rutland Dam | Just North of the P33 bridge, 1/4 mile west | 3 | Just above the dam, there is a pond by the utility bldg. Portage from there. This is a pretty area, the dam and park are being restored |
| Joe Sheldon (Oxbow) | 1.5 mi. W. of Humboldt on Hwy. 3, | 4 | Across from Sheldon Park, the Humboldt waterfront is all houses with a variety of "seascapes", very lovely |
| Humboldt Dam Ramp | turn W. on 1st, by the Burger Boy restaurant | 5 | Dangerous dam, scenic bike path, several heavy rapids that I walked the boat around, many eagle nests in the trees |
| Gotch Park | 2 mi. S. of Humboldt, off Hwy. 169, E. then N. | 6.5 | Beware of the REC dam .5 mi. S. , 5 people have died. There is a portage road just S. of the bridge to Gotch Park. You can also portage off the W. bank at he warning cable. Up the bank 50 ft. is the road. There is a put in point below the dam. |
| Deer Creek access | 1 mile N of C66, N of Ft. Dodge on Hwy. 169 (off 130th St.) | 6.5 | Grassy carry down |
| Hydro Dam Ramp | NW 3rd. E. off 169 at the intersection with Hwy. 7, follow signs to Hydro dam, N. about .25 mi. | 3 | Portage to the convenience store at the corner by NW 3rd.. There is a gravel ramp below the hydro dam. |
| Low head dam, Ft. Dodge | Put in at the new boat ramp off Bus. 20, below the low head dam. | 13 | The dam is dangerous, New boat ramp below the low head dam under the trestle. Scenic, several abandoned rail lines |
| Dolliver State Park | 4 mi. NW of Lehigh, follow the signs, follow the signs off HWY. 169 | 3 | You may need to portage at Lehigh, about 4 miles downstream |
| Lehigh | Hwy. 50, E. off Hwy 169 | 3 | -- |
| Deception Hollow Access | Take Hwy. 50 until it ends (past the grocery store), then follow the road that runs along the west bank to the first gravel road, and follow that road (which becomes Samson Road) along the river about 2 miles. |
15 | -- |
| Skillet Access | From Dayton, E. on 175, turn left on the gravel road just before the bridge, N. 1 mile. | 1 | -- |
| Carlson Recreation | From Dayton, E. on 175, turn right on the gravel road just before the bridge, S. 2 mil. | 10 | |
| Fraser Dam | Just north of the Fraser bridge off E26, gravel road on the W. side | 6 | Portage around the dam at Fraser, with the best portage road on the river |
| Boone Waterworks | N. on Hwy. 17, W. on E26. The ramp is down the hill, just N. of the bridge. Portage along the gravel road, there is a grassy area to put in below the dam. | 7 | |
| Boone Hwy. 30 | .5 mi W. of Boone, follow signs | 5 | The Kate Shelly High bridge is a double trestle built on the only high bluffs on both sides of the river. Trains pass over every few minutes. |
| Ledges State Park | Just west of Luther, follow signs | 3 | |
| E57 | 2 miles west of Luther on E57 | 4 | The ramp is on the northeast side of the river. |
| Sportsman's Access | 1 mile west of Luther on E57, south on the road to the Iowa Arboretum. The road forks at the arboretum entrance, take the right fork. Take the next left down to the access. | 5 | |
| Laurie | 1 mi W. of Madrid, off Hwy 17 | 3 | Low water, stay near river bank coming into Saylorville, eagles in the trees and on the ice floes |
| Woodward sub-1 ramp | 2 miles east of Woodward, off 130th Court | 10 | Hard surface ramp, lots of parking, the ramp is at an inlet that is upstream from the river. |
| Jester Park | Off 415, over mile-long bridge, NW Beaverfollow the signs | 10 | The access road seems to be closed a lot, but it's just a short portage to the ramp. Watch out for jet skiers. |
| Saylorville Dam | Off 415, follow the signs | 2 | Going under the Mile Long Bridge...Cross to the E. side of the dam, follow bike trail signs to Cottonwood |
| Cottonwood | East side of the lake, Off 415, follow the signs | 3 | Bike trail to the E. is very active, pass under I-80, pass through Des Moines |
| Sycamore Access | NW 66th in Des Moines | 3 | |
| I-80 bridge | 5 | ||
| Birdland Marina | Off University Ave., N. on Pennsylvania about 1 mile | 5 | Do not try to go over the dam by the Botanical Center...you will die. You must portage to SE 14th St. |
| Harriet St. | Off SE 14th, straight ahead over the hill | 5 | Take Pennsylvania to University, go E. to 12th St., take 12th to Grand, go E. to SE 14th, then S. to Harriet St. Write to the Register and complain about the nasty portage. |
| Hwy. 65 bridge | The C46 bridge has been removed, there is a new ramp off Vandalia Rd. at Hwy 65 | 5 | Geese by the thousands stand in shallow water and fill the air as you round the bend near Easter Lake |
| Yellow Banks | Take Vandalia Rd. S. of Des Moines, follow signs | 14 | Scenic yellow banks, dozens of eagles in the winter, |
| Hartford | Just S. of Hartford, N. then E. on gravel road | 8 | Bends in the river up to 1 mi. each leg make for a long paddle |
| Bennington | F70 E., then S. on 117th | 6 | The Runnells bridge over Hwy. 316 is an impressive structure. |
| Boxcars | N. of Runnells, Take F70 E., then S. on W 93rd Ave., West on Carpenter, S on 68th | 9 | Boat ramp signs also point to the Bennington Access, which is 4 miles N., hundreds of egrets nest in the marshes near the boxcars |
| Elk Rock Access | Elk Rock boat ramp is just south of the intersection between G40 and Hwy. 14. | 8 | In low water, watch the flights of herons to find a channel. |
| South Access | Take T15 out of Pella, go to the W. side of the dam | 2 | Red Rock can be very choppy. Elk Rock ramp is just around the corner from the mile long bridge, about half-way. |
| Howell Station | E. side of the dam, follow the signs | 8 | Go under the bridge, stay away from the area where the bridge is down. A magnificent view of Red Rock dam. |
| Tracy | 10 | There's a gravel ramp at the old 92 1.5 miles from the 92 bridge | |
| Eveland | Just S. of T39 bridge, W. of Oskaloosa | 8 | Eddyville is a brave town...check out the library just behind the new levee. |
| Hard Fish | S. of Eddyville, E. over 137 bridge, N. on gravel road across from Cargill | 8 | Lots of cottages and campers along the river bank, and people are friendly |
| Chillicothe bridge | 8 | Generating plant is 3 mi. N. of Chillicothe Bridge | |
| Black Hawk | Turn right at the Hwy. 63 bridge, follow the river road past UPS, turn left | 2 | Portage through the city, cross Hwy. 63 bridge to Hwy. 34, follow signs to Coliseum. Or portage around hydro dam along the west shore. |
| Coliseum | Off Hwy. 34, follow signs, drive over levee | 4 | Ottumwa has found a way to put a boat ramp outside a levee, build the road at an angle over the top. |
| Cliffland | Take Old Agency Road to Cliffland Road, turn left, drive about a mile | 10 |
Cliffland Access is in the Fox Hills area, and provides some very pretty scenery. This is an excellent starting point for the trip south of Ottumwa. |
| Eldon | Stay on Hwy. 16 to S. edge of town, turn E. to the river | 4 | Next to county fairgrounds, American Gothic house is about 2 mi. away |
| Shidepoke | W. on J12, N. after the bridge | 5 | Very friendly people, cottages on riverbank |
| Douds | 10 | ||
| Austin Park | 6 | Shimek Forest is very scenic, passes historic Ely Ford on the Mormon Trail. | |
| Keosauqua | Ramp is just E. of Hotel Manning | 8 | Historic Bentonsport and Bonaparte, portage with boat ramps if rapids look treacherous |
| Bentonsport | J40, 4 miles E. of Keosauqua | 5 | Mason House B&B was built by Mormon in craftsmen in the 1840's, restored Civil War era steamboat town, with Gothic buildings |
| Bonaparte | J40, 5 miles SE of Bentonsport | 4 | The old woolen mill, the Bonaparte Retreat restaurant by the old lock, this is a must see. |
| Van Buren | J40 S. across bridge in Bonaparte, take gravel road S. about 3 mi. (follow signs). Also called Des Moines River Access) | 3 | The Riverview Cabins are right on the river. |
| Farmington | S of Van Buren Access, about 3 miles | 10 | Near Croton, 1861 Civil War battle was furthest north west of the Missippi(1861), war memorial |
| Turkey Run | W.off 394 at Argyle | 10 | The cliffs are a spectacular sight |
| Ft. Pike | Just E. of the toll bridge | 12 | Missouri is on the S. bank, river widens, pay attention to the channel. Toll is 50 cents, but not if you go under the bridge. |
| Redwing | N. of the Hwy. 61 bridge, turn left on Hilton, then left on 250th... Follow the signs to River Rd., turn right and you're there. | 404 | Well marked and well maintained. |
| Total |
