It’s understandable if the prospect sounds intriguing, and at the same time a little off-putting. Indeed, that was my attitude for many years until Bill Koenig, an employee at Ralph Frese’s Chicagoland Canoe Base, offered to guide me down a 10-mile stretch of the Chicago River in the late 1990s.
Born and raised in central Illinois, I had always regarded Chicago as a cultural mecca and made countless trips there to enjoy the Art Institute, great restaurants, Civic Opera, the Cubs and Bears, State Street and countless other attractions. One of the most interesting and beautiful aspects of downtown Chicago was always the ribbon of water that threaded its way through the crowded metropolis and was crossed by one-of-a-kind bridges designed to lift or to pivot in order to allow tall boats to pass beneath them.
Every time I crossed the river on Michigan Avenue, State Street or elsewhere, I automatically slowed – annoyingly, I’m sure – to peer upstream or downstream. I wondered what it would be like to paddle a stream enclosed by sheer concrete and steel walls, and bordered by such architectural wonders as the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower and Merchandise Mart. At the same time, I had practical questions and doubts about doing so. Was there anywhere to put-in and take-out, to say nothing about parking? Wouldn’t the wakes of the powerboats and cruise vessels be problematic? If someone in a canoeing group were to capsize, how could they get back in their boat? And since Chicago is well-known for its windiness, wouldn’t the gusts be even worse within the confines of the river?
Like most paddlers, I had always sought streams that provided natural beauty, a touch of wilderness, tranquility, the thrill of whitewater – all found outside of urban environments. So it wasn’t until a decade ago that I began to explore some of the rivers that flow through Chicago and its suburbs, one of the most heavily populated areas in the world. Since then I’ve experienced many a delightful day on such Chicagoland streams as the Des Plaines and Du Page rivers and Salt Creek. As a greenhorn downstater, I needed good street maps to guide me to the accesses. But to my great surprise, the streams that I paddled often made me forget that I was surrounded by urban development.
Cook, Lake and other counties in the Chicago area, together with various municipalities, have done a good job of preserving a natural environment on the banks of many rivers and creeks. In fact, forest preserves and park districts often give you the impression that you’re paddling somewhere out in the sticks.
People who have lived and paddled in the area for many years suggest that while the water in the Chicago River is still not swimmable and there are still unattractive places along the river, the water quality is now better than it was for the previous 150 years. A great deal of the credit for this and other improvements must go to the various environmental and recreational interest groups – such as the Friends of the Chicago River and the Openlands Project – that have tirelessly advocated for cleaning up Chicago-area rivers and streams and for providing public access.
A little history
It would be difficult to exaggerate the historical importance of the Chicago River. Like the Fox-Wisconsin River portage route in Wisconsin, the Chicago River once provided a major highway from the eastern United States to the Mississippi River. Until the early 1800s, fur traders, missionaries and other travelers approached the mouth of the river from Lake Michigan in their canoes, then paddled westward up the south branch of the river and portaged across wetlands to the Des Plaines. From there they continued to the Illinois River and eventually to the Mississippi. In 1848 the Illinois and Michigan Canal provided a big boost for Chicago’s development by linking the Chicago and Illinois rivers. (Although the canal was soon made obsolete by railroads, much of it is still well-preserved and parts of it are paddleable.)
Before the arrival of white settlers, the Chicago River system consisted of two branches. One, the north branch, was the convergence of three streams – the west, middle and east forks – originating in what are now the suburbs of Deerfield, Glencoe and Winnetka. Moving southward, the Chicago met the east-flowing south fork – in present-day downtown Chicago – and the mingled waters or main stem then headed east into Lake Michigan.
With the opening of the I & M Canal and the development of railroads, Chicago grew exponentially and became a major trading and shipping center for the lumber and meatpacking industries. Unfortunately, businesses regarded the river as a convenient place to dump waste, and pollution became a major problem. Especially notorious were the meat-processing plants and stockyards that used the river as a sewer. One stretch was so contaminated with rotting animal carcasses and other waste, for instance, that it came to be known as Bubbly Creek. Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle drew international attention with its stomach-churning descriptions of the industry and its abuses.
Spewing its accumulated filth into Lake Michigan, which was the source of the city’s drinking water, the polluted river created huge public health problems for Chicago. Outbreaks of typhus and other diseases killed thousands of people. In order to safeguard the water supply, the city undertook a couple of huge engineering projects around the turn of the 20th century, one of which changed the course of the river, thus diverting wastes away from the lake.
One project was the construction of locks that redirected the river westward, drawing water from Lake Michigan, into a newly dug, 28-mile Sanitary and Ship Canal that led the Mississippi River via the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers. Much to the enduring consternation of many downstate Illinoisans, the eight-mile North Shore Channel sent northern suburban waste away into the redirected river. Other projects followed, including the 16-mile Cal-Sag Channel that connected the Little Calumet River to the Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Fortunately, the growing demand for environmental standards, the decline of the stockyards and meatpacking industries, political pressure, public health concerns and increased attention to aesthetic and recreational need have made a huge difference. One example is the complex and expensive Deep Tunnel Project undertaken by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to keep storm water and untreated wastewater out of the river. Beginning in the 1990s, various groups have marshaled their resources to assess various aspects of the Chicago River system and make recommendations for improvements. Much remains to be done, of course, but many of the efforts have already borne fruit.
Getting on the river
So how can you see for yourself the best that the “new and improved” Chicago River has to offer? Given the fact that it sits in a teeming, heavily trafficked area of millions of people and thus doesn’t lend itself to the usual research-scout-and-paddle methodology, I’ll make two recommendations.
First, take advantage of the organizations that provide well-organized trips on safe, attractive sections of the river. In my opinion, the best of these are the trips offered by the Friends of the Chicago River, a marvelous association that has worked tirelessly since 1979 to restore the Chicago River for the benefit of people and wildlife. According to its website, www.chicagoriver.org, the organization’s mission “spans the entire 156-mile Chicago River system and its surrounding watershed. ... The friends group works in partnership with municipalities, businesses, community groups, schools, peer organizations, government agencies, and individuals on projects that benefit the river.”
Friends of the Chicago River sponsors many events throughout the year to promote and celebrate the river. This year, for example, nine guided canoe and kayak trips are being offered on four different sections. The trips include the following:
1) On June 21, August 22 and October 2 there will be a six-mile paddle on the north ranch through forest preserves, from the Skokie Lagoons to Linne Woods at Dempster Street.
2) On July 25 and September 12 there will be trip farther downstream on the north branch. Starting at Clark Park, the trips pass a varied shoreline that includes north side residential development and the industrial environment around Goose Island.
3) July 18 and August 29 there will be Downtown Canyons trips west on the main stem of the river, past the city’s famous skyscrapers and then north to Goose Island and North Avenue.
4) September 26 and October 10 there will be moonlight paddles on the Skokie Lagoons.
The Friends group provides not only experienced, knowledgeable guides, but also shuttle service, paddling instruction and all the necessary equipment. A heck of a deal.
Another paddling opportunity offered by the Friends is the October 4 Flatwater Classic, a fun 7.25-mile race that has drawn hundreds of paddlers, ranging from beginners to avid racers, every year since 2000. The classic begins at Clark Park on North Rockwell, passes Goose Island and ends at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown.
For more information about all of these trips, including registration forms, see the Friends of the Chicago River website at www.chicagoriver.org. You’ll find a wealth of information about the river, including the full text of a detailed action plan for further improvements. The Friends’ newsletter can also be found on the website.
A second recommendation is that you consider renting a canoe or kayak from Chicago River Canoe and Kayak, a 7-year-old business with two riverside locations where you can rent and launch boats. One is located in Chicago at Clark Park, 3400 N. Rockwell St., just south of Addison and west of Western, while the other is farther north in Skokie on the North Shore Channel.
The latter is a lock-to-lock stretch that starts at the Oakton Channelside Park boat landing at 3220 Oakton, heads north through a mostly wooded area to the Wilmette Harbor Lock at Lake Michigan, then returns downstream for an out-and-back total of eight miles. The current flows south in the North Shore Channel but it is easy to paddle against the current. In fact, the current is generally minimal on most of the Chicago River. One reason is that, after a series of challenges to Chicago’s withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes to feed the southeastward flow of the river, the courts radically reduced the allowable outflow from Lake Michigan.
In addition to boat and equipment rentals in Chicago and Skokie, Chicago River Canoe and Kayak schedules a number of paddling events, including trips to such streams as the Des Plaines, Little Calumet and Kankakee rivers and Salt Creek. For more information, go to www.chicagoriverpaddle.com.
On your own
My third recommendation is for experienced paddlers who have their own equipment and wish to explore one of the prettiest parts of the river. The 10-mile section from the Skokie Lagoons to Whelan Pool-Caldwell Woods Forest Preserve flows almost entirely through a green corridor. Seldom are you aware of the fact that you’re paddling through the northern suburbs of Winnetka, Wilmette, Glenview, Morton Grove and Niles. The entire section is narrow, winding and tranquil. Occasionally there are limbs in the water that require maneuvering, or even a carry-around, and three small dams, 1- to 2-foot drops, have to be portaged. Because of the deadfall and dams, I discourage beginners from undertaking this trip.
When you put-in at the concrete steps downstream-left from the dam at the southern end of the Skokie Lagoons, just north of Willow Road, you are on the east fork, also known as the Skokie River. But after a mile and half of paddling, the middle fork enters on your right. (Later, at five miles, the west fork also appears on the right. Together, the three forks constitute the north branch.
The first dam is found only half a mile after the put-in, just north of Winnetka Avenue, and can easily be portaged on a concrete platform on either side of the river. South of Golf Road, you pass under four footbridges at a golf course. The second dam, also low, is found underneath the fourth bridge and is portaged on the left. Downstream from Howard Street, eight miles, the third dam has a 2-foot fall and is portaged on the right.
Along the way, you’ll see a lot of old-growth forest, occasional storm drain outflows, a few houses, especially in a short stretch south of Howard Street, wildflowers and, if you’re lucky, some wildlife. A biking and hiking trail parallels the river most of the time.
The easy-to-miss take-out is on the river-right bank upstream from Devon Avenue, about 100 yards downstream from a biking and hiking trail bridge over the river. From there, a path leads to the Whelan Pool parking lot. The trip can be shortened considerably by taking out, or putting in, at the large, grated storm outflow on river-left near the Linne Woods parking area north of Dempster Street.
More information
• One of the best river books I’ve ever read is David Solzman’s The Chicago River: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways published in 1998. I can’t imagine a more comprehensive guidebook to the river. It is crammed with history, photos and graphics.
• There’s also a lot of relevant information at www.paddleaway.com, not only about the Chicago River but about other northern Illinois streams.
• A more detailed description of the Willow Road to Whelan Pool section, complete with a map, may be found in my guidebook Paddling Illinois, Pages 28 and 29.
Mike Svob is a native Illinoisan and longtime Northwoods devotee. He has canoed and kayaked for more than 30 years in 18 states and several foreign countries, but regards Wisconsin as paddling paradise and home. He now spends a majority of his year in Tucson, Arizona. He is the author of Paddling Illinois, Paddling Northern Wisconsin and Paddling Southern Wisconsin, all published by Trails Books.
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