Paddling News


Conant Pool - Kayak and Canoe Classes
Posted by rich on 01/06/2010 09:15PM

Catalog and Registration at:
District 211.org

Registration Begins 01-19-2010

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Whitewater Kayaking 7 Weeks - $85

This class will cover the basics of whitewater kayaking with a half-hour of classroom work prior to practice in the pool. Students should bring swimsuits, towels, glasses guards, and nose plugs. The class and equipment are supplied by
members of the Chicago Whitewater Association.

(Gold Card fee is $35.)
R326 - 01 Thurs., Feb. 11 C.H.S., Room 114/Pool (7:30 - 10:00 p.m.) S. Paolino

Contemporary Solo Canoeing 7 Weeks - $79
Learn modern paddling theory that will teach strokes, braces, and safety procedures.
There will be one-half hour of classroom lecture prior to working in the pool.

Students should bring a swimsuit, towel, and glasses guard. The class and equipment are supplied by members of the Chicago Whitewater Association. (Gold Card Fee is $35.)

R325 - 01 Tues., Feb. 9 C.H.S., Room 114/Pool (7:30 - 10:00 p.m.) S. Shapiro

Thanks to Bharat for the email update on this!



Plum Goodness
Posted by rich on 12/18/2009 10:32PM

One of our fellow paddlers from western Illinois, Andy Shaw, has put together a wonderful presentation on developing the Plum River into an accessible water trail. The Plum River is located in Savanna, IL and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. Check out his newly created website below.

Andy Shaw's Plum River Website

Put-ins located here.



Yorkville Whitewater Park!!!
Posted by rich on 11/10/2009 02:39PM

Head on over to the IPC site below for the most exciting news to hit the IL paddling community in a while. The Yorkville Whitewater Park is about halfway completed and it looks like it is going to be awesome.

Erik Sprenne has written an article on the park and the changes to the Glenn Palmer Dam along with some photos of the course.
Yorkville Whitewater Park



Dam Safety Rule #3703 Rejected!
Posted by rich on 07/22/2009 09:46PM

Today the paddling community is celebrating Dam Safety Rule #3703 being sent back to the drawing board due to numerous problems.

I am truly amazed at the outcome as every request I have ever sent to my representatives in govt have been ignored. It is almost unbelievable that a vote was actually made in favor of the people/paddling community. This just goes to show how determined the paddling community is.

Many thanks to those that called, wrote letters, attended meetings and signed petitions.

The law is going to be re-written to address the problems and so the fight is not completely over just yet.

Hopefully the next version will be paddler friendly.

For more info check out Tom Lindblade's report in the latest issue of The Illinois Paddler. Near the bottom of the page is also a fantastic report of today's JCAR meeting by Erik Sprenne.




Older paddling news




New Paddling Articles/Links



Sea Kayaker magazine article discussing techniques to help you relax and hold your breath longer with the goal of attempting a second or third roll should your first attempt(s) fail.



Learn how to perform proper sweep strokes, rolls, low and high braces. This article has annotated photos showing both good technique and bad.



Paddling.net member discusses rolling exercises to be performed in flatwater that can help prepare you for unplanned/combat rolls in rougher conditions.



Inform yourself about the dangers of paddling in high water conditions.



More paddling resources here



Paddling Calendar



Calendar - Monthly View




New Paddling Videos!



Sea Kayaking Milwaukee Harbor and Beyond Breakwall    
Author: kbraband


Taken on Nov 22, 2009:

"Sea kayaking Milwaukee Harbor and beyond the breakwall on a mild November day."






Lower Fox    
Author: kbraband


"Paddling the dells section of the Fox River in Illinois to near Ottawa, IL."




Head over to the videos section to view these and more great videos!




New put-ins!


Lakeshore State Park - Milwaukee, WI     (View on map)
Lake Michigan     
by KBRABAND on 12/30/2009

If you don't mind carting or carrying a few hundred yards, the beach at LSP is a nice place to launch. Park behind the Marcus Amphitheater along the lakefront.

WC2 Boat Ramp - Mortons Gap, KY     (View on map)
Peabody WMA WC2 Small Lake     
by  on 12/29/2009

Small lake off St-1003 in Peabody WMA.

Peabody WMA - Mortons Gap, KY     (View on map)
Flat Creek Slough     
by Ernie Southers on 12/29/2009

Single lane gravel boat ramp. Large slough area, very clear water, lots of wildlife. Watch out for copperheads and cottonmouths.


Updated from: 37.310789017497896 -87.36443996429443



View all 317 put-ins here!



PaddleAway.com News!

Help put in the put-ins!

Your help is needed in locating put-ins. If you know of some terrific put-ins, try out the new Google map interface to add in your favorite put-ins. Don't keep them secret, let us all enjoy them.

Click the image below to find some amazing put-ins!

















With the new mapping interface you can view all put-ins in Google Maps! Mapped by GPS location through Google's mapping interface allowing you to see exactly where you are putting in and taking out. You can even get driving directions to the put-in -just enter your address in the start address field and click on a put-in and you'll instantly have directions to your put-in.

Tons of put-ins on the Kish, Nippersink, Des Plaines and Fox rivers as well as many others. Feel free to add your own put-in or email me the details and I'll be sure to add it in.

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Welcome to PaddleAway.com:

A site dedicated to kayakers and canoeists. This site was developed to help paddlers find the information they need to get them out on the water. Illinois has numerous places to paddle and relax. Hopefully this site will help both veteran and novice paddlers alike find great places to paddle.

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What can you do here?

Besides the put-ins list and mapping interface, we have a link to paddling clubs in Illinois, rental links, as well as links to video footage of some local waterways.

Most paddlers will likely be interested in the Put-Ins section which has links to info on the put-in, weather for the specific put-in as well as a link to USGS water data for up-to-date flow and depth levels.

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Upcoming Site Enhancements

(these may take a while ;))
  • Ability to track your trips by creating and saving routes on map
  • Distance between put-ins -on rivers and especially along Lake Michigan lakeshore .
  • Add a video and photo gallery linked to a particular stretch/section of rivers/lakes
  • Allow data to be added and modified from the web by members
  • Link USGS data with geographical coordinates to Google Maps markers
  • Add overlays to google maps easily identifying popular paddling destinations
  • Trip Reports
  • Boat and gear review section
  • Calendar of upcoming paddling trips and events
  • To see what fellow paddlers are interested in, a list of top visited put-ins sorted by popularity
  • Canoe/kayak rentals in close proximity to put-in sites.