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New Paddling Articles/Links


Wetsuit vs. Drysuit for Paddling
Excellent article covering how to dress and layer for cold water along with some startling facts.
http://playak.com/news.php?idd=1358581398725

Waiting to Inhale: Breath-Holding Drills for Kayakers
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.
http://www.seakayakermag.com/2003/03Oct/breath1.htm

Sweep, Roll, and Bracing
Learn how to perform proper sweep strokes, rolls, low and high braces. This article has annotated photos showing both good technique and bad.
http://nocpaddlingschool.blogspot.com/2008/06/shoulder-safety.html

Bombproofing Your Roll
Paddling.net member discusses rolling exercises to be performed in flatwater that can help prepare you for unplanned/combat rolls in rougher conditions.
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=920959#921028


More paddling resources here


Advisories

No advisories in the last 14 days.
For a list of previous advisories head over to the Advisory page.

New Paddling Reports

More reports coming soon here

Des Plaines River trip - put in at Van Patten Woods Russell Road Canoe Launch on 07/31/2011
By: Tom Eckels
"Water Level at 130 cfs or so. Plenty of new down-fall from recent storms, but all were passable at this water level. All had a good time!"


Salt Creek trip - put in at Salt Creek Park on 06/18/2011
By: Brian Maki
"I put in at the Salt Creek Park launch and paddled north. The first hazard to be aware of is a lot of debris under the first pedestrian bridge just north of the put in. The bridge is only passable on the far left (going downstream).

Also, there is a strong current in the bend just north of the railroad bridge, north of Irving. Proceeding north, there are numerous downed trees blocking a portion of the creek, but they are still passable. I continued paddling north until a downed tree just south of Thorndale Ave completely blocked my progress. I was unable to portage around it and the water level was also quite low at that point, so I turned around.

I paddled south, past the put in, to the dam at Maple Meadows golf course. There were no major issues between the put in and the dam, other than golf balls (One landed in the creek, 20' from me). I then turned around and paddled back to the Salt Creek Park launch.

Overall, the creek was fairly clean. I saw several deer, great blue herons and red tailed hawks. "


Paddling Calendar



Calendar - Monthly View


New put-ins!


Jones Island Park - GRAYSLAKE, IL     (View on map)
Grayslake     
by Jsanguineti on 10/25/2011

Grayslake is a great place for beginners. No motorized watercrafts are allowed and it has some beaches around the lake were you can stop to rest. The parking lot is a few steps away and it has a porta potty.

Water depth is approximately 18 feet (5.5 m) at its deepest point and averages 4 feet deep. The lake is nearly 0.3 miles (0.48 km) wide and 0.53 miles (0.85 km) long with about 2 miles (3.2 km) of lake shore.

Jones Island Park is a great place to visit, it has grills, picnic tables, a picnic shelter, sand volley ball, a playground, a beach, and a large field, all available for use.

Jsanguineti
10/25/2011

Arena - Arena, WI     (View on map)
Wi River     
by  on 10/05/2011

Parking for 10+ cars.

Batavia Boat House - Batavia, IL     (View on map)
Fox River (IL)     
by  on 10/01/2011

Boat ramp and parking for cars and trailers. Right on the bike path.

Blackhawk Island - Pulloff - Wisconsin Dells, WI     (View on map)
Wisconsin River     
by Aaron on 09/13/2011

There is actually a very nice spot to enjoy the Dells on the River. There is a free pull off here where you can take out your kayak and paddle around blackhawk island. The westside of the island is too shallow for big boats and the eastside has is protected by no-wake so this is all great for kayakers. If you get a chance try to go when the big boats don't though as you'll have a better chance of sneaking into the gorges on the east side of the river. The island is a protected area where there is waterfront access and hiking trails but you have to get permission from the DNR or local 4h club to hike on it first.


View all 410 put-ins here!


New Paddling Videos!



Lusk Creek Summer 2011 Highlights    
Author: ghedger

"Highlights from floating Lusk Creek this summer. Labeled the rapids and some of the sweet spots found along this stretch."
Kayaking Lusk Creek - Southern Illinois    
Author: ghedger

3000 C.F.S. on Lusk Creek in Eddyville, IL




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

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