BWCA Hennepin Canal, IL Boundary Waters Group Forum: Other Canoe Camping Locations
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   Group Forum: Other Canoe Camping Locations
      Hennepin Canal, IL     

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07/15/2013 04:27PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Found out about this place last fall when investigating places to go canoe camping nearby.

The canal stretches from East Moline to Bureau, IL where it joins the Illinois River.

There are established campsites along the way and some have well water.
We camped at Lock 22 and did a 12 mile daytrip to the visitor's center and back before heading home.

The Friends of the Hennepin Canal website has some maps. The IL DNR does not have maps online for some reason, but if you contact the DNR they'll send you maps and all sorts of other info.

In the end it was a neat paddle. I suspect I'll be back at some point whether its with the Scouts or family/friends. I'd like to fish the canal, as the fishing is reportedly quite good.
 
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10/03/2013 08:53AM  
You can also paddle some of the I&M Canal from Channahon west.
 
10/03/2013 10:23AM  
Is there any camping on the I&M, or is it daytrip only?
 
10/04/2013 04:48PM  
There is camping along the trail. In fact, a few guys from hammockforums.net are planning a meetup on 10-12-13 at a campsite about 3-4 miles south of Channahon right near McKinley Woods FP
MAP

They are pretty easy going folks and I'm sure they would welcome anyone who shows up. Unfortunately, I must be in Bloomington for state championship marching band competition with my son.

I&M Canal Info - DNR
 
10/06/2013 11:27AM  
It looks like Magicpaddler is going...he posted, "I think this is where the campsight is. Cut and past the numbers into Bing maps.

41.386818 -88.246963"
 
billconner
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10/06/2013 12:35PM  
So this is interesting. Have you paddled on it? Seems like a lot of locks at eastern end ton portage around. Is camping first come first served? And I don't see camping on the north branch - which has no locks
 
10/07/2013 08:48AM  
I have not paddled it. I have hiked and biked the portion of the path south from Chanahon about 5 miles and I also hiked the mile from Gebhard Woods to W. Stratton Park. I believe camping is forst com first serve. I think you need to either register at the Channahon St Park office or pay at the envelope drop box.
 
10/07/2013 09:47AM  
quote billconner: "So this is interesting. Have you paddled on it? Seems like a lot of locks at eastern end ton portage around. Is camping first come first served? And I don't see camping on the north branch - which has no locks"


Bill - talking about Hennepin?

The feeder canal is 30 miles of portage free paddling. No campsites along it whatsoever. Except for a couple miles at the Des Plaines/Illinois River confluence end and the very Western edge, you can paddle across the state and end up just a couple miles upstream of the Miss on the Rock River.

I'll see if I can get my stuff from the DNR scanned & linked as PDFs. May take a few days.
 
10/07/2013 09:51AM  
Jim,

Thanks for the heads up. I won't be able to make it this weekend. Its my one weekend home in between campouts this month...

I'll add it to my 'places I want to paddle' list.
 
labman
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03/17/2014 12:56PM  
quote mirth: "
quote billconner: "So this is interesting. Have you paddled on it? Seems like a lot of locks at eastern end ton portage around. Is camping first come first served? And I don't see camping on the north branch - which has no locks"



Bill - talking about Hennepin?


The feeder canal is 30 miles of portage free paddling. No campsites along it whatsoever. Except for a couple miles at the Des Plaines/Illinois River confluence end and the very Western edge, you can paddle across the state and end up just a couple miles upstream of the Miss on the Rock River.


I'll see if I can get my stuff from the DNR scanned & linked as PDFs. May take a few days."


Are you confusing both canals in the above post? The feeder starts on the Rock river and enters the Henny west of the visitors center. The I and M starts near the Des Plaines and Illinois confluence and empties into the Illinois near LaSalle.
 
labman
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03/17/2014 12:56PM  
quote mirth: "
quote billconner: "So this is interesting. Have you paddled on it? Seems like a lot of locks at eastern end ton portage around. Is camping first come first served? And I don't see camping on the north branch - which has no locks"



Bill - talking about Hennepin?


The feeder canal is 30 miles of portage free paddling. No campsites along it whatsoever. Except for a couple miles at the Des Plaines/Illinois River confluence end and the very Western edge, you can paddle across the state and end up just a couple miles upstream of the Miss on the Rock River.


I'll see if I can get my stuff from the DNR scanned & linked as PDFs. May take a few days."
 
billconner
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03/17/2014 02:06PM  
quote mirth: "
quote billconner: "So this is interesting. Have you paddled on it? Seems like a lot of locks at eastern end ton portage around. Is camping first come first served? And I don't see camping on the north branch - which has no locks"



Bill - talking about Hennepin?


The feeder canal is 30 miles of portage free paddling. No campsites along it whatsoever. Except for a couple miles at the Des Plaines/Illinois River confluence end and the very Western edge, you can paddle across the state and end up just a couple miles upstream of the Miss on the Rock River.


I'll see if I can get my stuff from the DNR scanned & linked as PDFs. May take a few days."


Yes. Help me out with your comments about no camping since the link above includes IDNR activities that list camping and camp sites. Also since that site indicates it was the Illinois and Mississippi canal originally, I can see I&M confusion possibilities with Illinois and Michigan. I thought most locks were not operational so am surprised you can go so far without portage. Trying to figure this out - it is a thread on the Hennnepin Canal isn't it? There is another on the I&M.:)
 
03/18/2014 11:06AM  
Bill,

There's no camping on the feeder canal, which runs N-S from Rock Falls down to the summit pool near Mineral. All of the camping is along the main canal which runs West from the Illinois River at Bureau to where it joins the Rock at Colona.

Our troop camped at Lock 26 last year, just West of the summit pool and did a day paddle of about 12 miles to the main state park and back. This campsite has a restored lock gate and restored bridge so you can get a sense of how the canal was 'back in the day'. There is also a decent vault toilet and well water at this site.

Most road crossings over the canal are accomplished by 1 or a pair of 6' wide corrugated steel pipes that the canal runs through.

Many of the locks are open on both sides, so you can just paddle through, or they're completely missing.

I know I said it before, but I'll try to get the stuff scanned and online. I see the envelope every day when I get home from work.
 
billconner
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03/18/2014 12:50PM  
Now I get it - no sites on north branch and most locks can be paddled. The Friends of Hennepin Canal have maps on their site also, plus the campground maps on the IDNR site. This looks like no reservations - just first come first served - and a relatively low fee. Is each campsite staffed to pay?
 
03/18/2014 04:10PM  
I think each campsite may have a self pay box. We had a ranger pay us a visit the night we were there because the DNR knew we were coming.
 
labman
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03/19/2014 12:46PM  
quote mirth: "I think each campsite may have a self pay box. We had a ranger pay us a visit the night we were there because the DNR knew we were coming."


Are all of you folks from the area or from cook county?

BTW, the pipes look like this:





 
billconner
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03/19/2014 01:05PM  
Not sure about all from Cook County but I am.

Wonder when the ice is out on the Hennepin.

So is this an interesting trip? Seesm like you could do east to west in a long weekend with two nights on the canal? 60 miles or so?
 
labman
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03/19/2014 01:38PM  
quote billconner: "Not sure about all from Cook County but I am.


Wonder when the ice is out on the Hennepin.


So is this an interesting trip? Seesm like you could do east to west in a long weekend with two nights on the canal? 60 miles or so?"



My wife and i have only paddled day trips. It is interesting and worth fishing. We catch crappie, bass, gills, channels and flathead. There are walleye west of the feeder.
I am sure there are other fish too.
There is some current in most stretches. I would think the ice will come off sooner than lakes. The feeder has a bit more current than the main.
 
03/19/2014 05:17PM  
I'm up in Lake Co.

Hoping to spend a weekend on the canal with some friends this year.
 
plexmidwest
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04/14/2014 10:03AM  
I have paddled the north section of the canal starting from Rock Falls, the origin. I am interested in doing the east to west branch this summer, so I would also be interested in the camping locations and comments.
John
 
OldFingers57
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04/14/2014 10:28AM  
quote plexmidwest: "I have paddled the north section of the canal starting from Rock Falls, the origin. I am interested in doing the east to west branch this summer, so I would also be interested in the camping locations and comments.
John"


Off of Rt 82 by Geneseo,IL there is the Geneseo Campground (privately owned) and right across the canal from it is Geneseo Prairie Park. I've camped with Boy Scout groups at the Prairie Park down by the canal. It's a nice park.
 
plexmidwest
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04/14/2014 10:49AM  
I drive by there several times a year, but have never stopped at that site. will need to do that this summer. It's right on the canal.
 
OldFingers57
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04/14/2014 12:14PM  
I've never camped at the private campground there at Geneseo. Here is where you can camp at from the Hennipen Canal SP website:

Camping

Class "C" and Youth Group camping are allowed along the Hennepin Canal Parkway at the following locations:

Lock 6, north bank East of lock
Lock 11, west of the Canal Prism
Lock 17, northwest of the lock
Lock 21, North Day Use Area
Bridge 14, north bank.
Lock 22, southwest of the lift bridge (drinking water available)
Bridge 23, south bank
Lock 23, just west of the parking lot.
Lock 26, south bank

 
billconner
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08/30/2014 01:31PM  
How many miles a day on this would you estimate? I'm assuming 3 mph easy?
 
09/02/2014 09:30AM  
I'd suspect 3MPH without any real effort. Paddling hard, maybe 5+. The only current you have to battle is when going through the culverts or if you're going up the feeder canal.
 
Legacy13
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09/12/2014 11:16AM  
I'm getting interested in a trip along the Hennepin. I am from Indiana, is there some sticker I need to use my canoe in IL?

Thanks,

Cary
 
09/12/2014 12:05PM  
There is a $6.00 use sticker for all non-powered watercraft. You get them from just about any place that sells fishing licenses in IL.
The sticker is good from 1/1 thru 12/31 each year.
And pfd is now required.
 
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