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Illinois whitewater - Des Plaines, Will County
Will
county,
Fishnet Rapids section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
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CLASS I-II 4 miles
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About the gate at Isle a Cache in Romeoville: I can't verify what time it's locked, but I would not advise driving around the gate if it requires going through the grass. I used to leave my truck there and return for it later. One time the gate was locked when we got back, and I drove around the gate. A week or so later, the same thing happened. We got back and the gate was locked, but this time there was a note on the truck that said ''Your license number has been recorded. If this vehicle is not here when the gate is unlocked in the morning, you will |
be ticketed''. I had to leave the truck there until after work the following day. So now, if I'm planning on not returning for the truck until late, after unloading the gear, I park the truck at the bar located about 1/4 mile west, and I walk back to Isle a Cache. Says Brian
| | Put-in is 135th street in Romeoville. Park and put in at the Isle de Cashe Museum parking lot. Great location and easy put in. I think they lock the parking lot gate at 5:00pm so don't get trapped in. I think you can drive around the gate if necessary. Don't take-out at the 167th /Division Street as the directions here say. It's a difficult take-out. Plus there is 2.0 miles of river left to enjoy. Keep going to Joliet and get out on the north side Ruby Street in Joliet. Ruby has small boat ramp and shade trees. Nice spot. You can also leave a shuttle vehicle | |
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here. Wait for higher than normal water to make this run. Otherwise you will drag a lot of bottom especially at the Route 7 high bridge at Lockport. Soon after you put in be careful at the concrete low height gravel pit bridge. Debris gets caught here and the passage is narrow
or nonexistant. You don't want to get trapped. In 2007 there was just one opening to the left side. You can inspect this before going by taking the road that goes east from Romeoville High School on route 53. It's a private gravel pit road but I doubt anyone will care. The biggest
rapids are just before and at the old Division Street bridge. But they are just fun not dangerous. In a couple of places the river forks. Its usually best to go right. At the fork below Division street...go left unless you have exta high water. This is really a fun little run.
Lots of wild life....deer, ducks, geese, turtles, and carpzilla. Also before you run it drive east on Division Street from Route 53 just so you can see the rapids before you run them. This also gives you an idea of where you are as you come downstream. Before you get out at Ruby
street go under the railroad bridge to the east and go up the historic old Lockport canal. You will be going back north. This is where the mules used to pull the barges. There is interesting stone work along the way. You can easily make it up to the first lock about 1/2 a mile.
Finally, this trip could be dangerous in very high run-off. There could be suck holes around bridge pillars. You could be caught by debris jams in forks or at bridges. There could also be low clearance under that first bridge. So scout it before you run it. Be sure to have a good
PFD and wear it. Remember this is Real America not Great America. You're on your own. I like the real high water the best. E-mail me if you have questions bbfalk@aol.com Says Bruce Falk
The Fishnet Rapids section of Des Plaines in Will County is 4 miles long and is a class
I-II section of whitewater according to American Whitewater. The beautiful scenery of Illinois and the water flowing gracefully down Des Plaines are in themselves reasons enough to come here to paddle. And of course, there are campgrounds nearby. This section is long enough to
enjoy a good non stop paddle, you can easily run it on an afternoon. A bit of exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors will have you coming back for more. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more forgiving, so better
not forget that lots of rivers here are good for beginners. No shortage of good hotels, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Des Plaines doesn't have a lot of paddling sections, the Fishnet Rapids section is the only one. The starting point
is not too far from Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, as you can see on the road map further down.
Briefly about the general area:
Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor is a splendid national park. Summertime highs at Des Plaines generally tend to be in the 80's,
and through the night it cools down to the 60's. The cold days of the winter come with highs in the 20's with temperatures at Des Plaines dipping down into the 10's through winter nights. Des Plaines is a good location of normal rainfall; during July this area sees the most rain while February is the month with the least amount of precipitation.
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Des Plaines, Fishnet Rapids road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.
QUICK STATS
AW Class:
I-II
Length:
4
miles
Average Gradient: 7 fpm
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Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 41.6403
Longitude: -88.07151
Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 41.5819
Longitude: -88.07181
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Paddler input for Des Plaines, Illinois:
To inspect for log jams beneath the gravel pit access bridge directly east of Romeoville High School, you are allowed to drive up to, but not ACROSS the bridge, according to a security gaurd at the gravel pit. To check for log jams, I'd park BEFORE the bridge, and get out and walk across the bridge, looking over the railing. Also, there's a spot where you can walk up to the river edge. Facing east, it will be on your right, before the bridge. I'm uploading a photo dated April 12, 2002. It's a view of that bridge, taken from the water, looking southwest.
- Brian
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All Illinois Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Illinois.
Books about whitewater paddling on Des Plaines, Illinois
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Des Plaines, Illinois.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Illinois
Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin, the metro area neareast to Des Plaines. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
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| These outdoors activities are available near Des Plaines. |
| | Ski Areas Near Des Plaines:
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Four Lakes, Illinois
, 9 miles away, 100 vertical feet |
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Villa Olivia, Illinois
, 23 miles away, 180 vertical feet |
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Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park (Snowboarding only - no skiing), Illinois
, 34 miles away, 180 vertical feet |
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Wilmot mountain, Wisconsin
, 47 miles away, 260 vertical feet |
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Grand Geneva, Wisconsin
, 56 miles away, 211 vertical feet |
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Alpine Valley, Wisconsin
, 63 miles away, 388 vertical feet |
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Highlands of Olympia, Wisconsin
, 81 miles away, 205 vertical feet |
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Little Switzerland, Wisconsin
, 90 miles away, 200 vertical feet |
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Sunburst, Wisconsin
, 98 miles away, 214 vertical feet |
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Hidden Valley, Wisconsin
, 131 miles away, 200 vertical feet |
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| | Hotels Near Des Plaines:
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Chicago/Romeoville/Bolingbrook Super 8 Motel, Romeoville
, 3 miles away |
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Ramada Limited Bolingbrook, Bolingbrook
, 4 miles away |
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La Quinta Inn Bolingbrook, Bolingbrook
, 4 miles away |
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Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Bolingbrook, Il, Bolingbrook
, 4 miles away |
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Springhill Suites By Marriott Bolingbrook, Bolingbrook
, 4 miles away |
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| | Golf Courses Near Des Plaines:
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Prairie Bluff Public Golf Club, Joliet
, 2 miles away |
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Big Run Golf Club, Lockport
, 3 miles away |
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Broken Arrow Golf Club, Lockport
, 4 miles away |
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3 miles away
4 miles away
