See all 18 routes on Des Moines River
Iowa | Southeast Iowa
Des Moines RiverBentonsport Boat Ramp to Bonaparte Boat Ramp
Paddle 3.6–5 miles from Bentonsport to Bonaparte; plan 1.5–2.5 hours for riffles, rock bars, and geode stops. Use the Keosauqua gauge to plan for shallow water or stronger current around old lock-and-dam remnants.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Bentonsport Park and paddle the Lower Des Moines River downstream to Bonaparte Riverfront Park. This short historic-village segment is best when lower water exposes riffles, rock bars, and geode-hunting stops without making the route a scrape-heavy walk.
Access map
Put-in
Bentonsport Park / Bentonsport Boat RampBentonsport Park is a county park with a public boat ramp on the Lower Des Moines River Water Trail, but the saved coordinate is park/access-area context rather than a ramp-survey point.
Take-out
Bonaparte Riverfront Park / Bonaparte Boat RampBonaparte Riverfront / City Park is the public riverfront take-out context; use posted local signs for the exact boat-ramp approach and parking.
Road shuttle
Use a short two-car shuttle between Bentonsport Park and Bonaparte Riverfront / City Park. The road shuttle follows local roads in Van Buren County and is short enough that most groups will spend more time staging boats than driving.
Additional access notes
- The Des Moines River is meandered here, but private property begins above the ordinary high-water mark. Keep stops to legal bars, public parkland, and clearly public access areas.
More route and safety guidance
- Large-river wind, floating debris after rain, motorboats, and muddy landings require extra trip planning.
- Use public access areas and legal bars; private property begins above the ordinary high-water mark.
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampDetailed weather
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IA. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Share a recent access update, hazard observation or photo.
Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IA |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | 3,000 cfs to 4,500 cfs |
| Low threshold | 800 cfs |
| High threshold | 6,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Outdoor Adventures Made Easy Bentonsport-to-Bonaparte level notes |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official water trailBentonsport to Bonaparte
The Iowa DNR lower Des Moines water-trail planning material names Segment 6 as Bentonsport Boat Ramp to Bonaparte Boat Ramp, and local water-trail pages list both as access points.
- Put-in accessBentonsport Park boat ramp
Van Buren County / MyCountyParks says Bentonsport Park sits along the Des Moines River and has a boat ramp giving access to the Lower Des Moines River Water Trail.
- Take-out accessBonaparte Riverfront / City Park
Villages of Van Buren lists Bonaparte among the Lower Des Moines River Trail access points, and NPS identifies Bonaparte Riverfront Park as a city-managed riverfront park with auto parking.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05490500
USGS operates Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IA, upstream on the same lower-river corridor; the Iowa DNR AQuIA record ties the Keosauqua bridge site to USGS NWIS 05490500.
- Route-specific levels700-6,000 cfs used; about 3,500 cfs preferred
Outdoor Adventures Made Easy describes the Bentonsport-to-Bonaparte paddle, says 700 to 800 cfs or less can require walking, prefers about 3,500 cfs, and says higher than 6,000 cfs covers many rock bars.
- Route character3.6 to 5 miles
The route report gives 3.6 miles for the main Bentonsport-to-Bonaparte paddle, while local water-trail access spacing lists Bentonsport to Bonaparte as about five miles. Plan it as a short day with time to stop at bars and historical features.
- Access coordinatesBentonsport 40.72454, -91.85125; Bonaparte 40.69785, -91.80552
Coordinates are anchored to named public park/access map features: Bentonsport Riverside Park / Bentonsport Park and Bonaparte City Park / Riverfront Park. Use posted signs to identify the exact ramp approach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Iowa DNR Lower Des Moines River Water Trail plan
- Van Buren County Bentonsport Park
- Villages of Van Buren Des Moines River Trail
- Outdoor Adventures Made Easy Geode Paddle
- USGS 05490500 monitoring location
- Iowa DNR Fish Iowa Des Moines River Ottumwa Dam to Farmington
- NPS Bonaparte Riverfront Park
- Bonaparte City Park map record
Other routes nearby
More on Des Moines River
All 18Nearby routes within 75 miles
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.