This is a 2 or 3 day trip, depending on how the river is running.  I made 38 miles in a day ln June of 1998, and 32 miles in July of 1999.  Take some time to walk through Dolliver, it is heavily wooded, with an amazing area called the "Boneyard", where Indian hunters ran game off the cliffs.  It is 3 miles down to Lehigh, which has a low dam that I just went over, but you may need to portage in lower water.   There is a boat ramp at Deception Hollow on the west side of the river about 3 miles south of Lehigh.

It is another 9 miles to the D54 bridge through very pretty county with lots of hills on either side of the river.  The Boone River intersects the Des Moines about a half mile above the D54 bridge.  The Dragoons camped in this very spot in 1835.   It is 8 miles to the Hwy. 175 bridge across some high bluffs, and then 2 miles to Carlson Recreation Area, which has a carry down area and camping. The Skillet Access boat ramp is about a mile north of Hwy. 175 on the river road that runs along the west bank.  Norton Ford is about 7 miles downstream from Hwy. 175.  It is 2 miles from Norton Ford to the E18 bridge, and another 3 miles to Fraser.

There will be a bit of a workout at  Fraser dam, 9 miles downstream.  There is a boat ramp just above the dam, and one just below, on the west side of the river.  There is a gravel road that takes you the quarter mile portage.  There is also a Duncan campground just up the road.  After passing under the Fraser bridge, it is 6 miles to Boone Waterworks.  You can see the high bridge for the Scenic Valley RR just off to the east.  There is a boat ramp above the dam, a gravel road along the river, and a boat ramp below the dam.  This was a dangerous dam that has been converted to a much safer rock arch rapids that is paddler friendly.  The river bank is often a gentle incline along this part of the river, and primitive camping is possible in many areas.

It is 7 miles to the Hwy. 30 bridge, and you will pass under the world's tallest double track trestle bridge on a very busy rail line, a spectacular sight.  This is the Kate Shelley High Bridge, named for the young lady that saved a train from a raging flood in 1881.There is a boat ramp at the Hwy. 30 bridge area, just to the north and west of the bridge.  It is about 2 miles to Moingona, the namesake of the river, named for the Indians that inhabited SE Iowa prior to European settlement.  Pillars of abandoned rail lines are in the river, and you can see the town from the river.  The Kate Shelley museum is a must see.  Ledges State Park is another 3 miles, and there is a creek on the east side of the river and wonderful camping and hiking facilities.  It is 27 miles from Carlson Recreation to Ledges.