Illinois Waterway
(Illinois River, Upper Illinois Waterway,
Des Plaines River, Chicago River)

General Description & Characteristics: This waterway connects Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, thus connecting America's "Great Circle" of inland and coastal navigation.  This waterway consists of the Illinois River, Upper Illinois Waterway (canal), Des Plaines River, and Chicago River.   A series of 8 locks and dams maintain the navigability of this waterway.  Most of these are found on the manmade Upper Illinois Waterway.

Location and Navigable Mileage: Contained entirely in the state of Illinois, this waterway has a total of 348 navigable miles.   The Illinois River runs northeast to southwest toward the Mississippi, the Des Plaines River runs west to east toward Lake Michigan, and the Upper Illinois Waterway connects these two rivers.

Interesting Features: This is one of the two sites in our collection of waterways where two major basins are connected by a manmade canal (the other being the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway).  This waterway offers a full spectrum of boating experience, from the major industrial port and metropolitan area of Chicago to the small riverside villages of southwestern Illinois.  There are many stretches where natural scenery prevails, and there are numerous state wildlife areas and parks along the way.   As it connects America's second city to the Gulf of Mexico, the Illinois Waterway is subject to significant volumes of commercial traffic.

Additional Information:

Navigation Information, Charts	Navigation Charts (this COE page has links to on-line charts and also ordering information for printed charts). Lock and Dam Status Reports
Connecting Waterways	Upper Mississippi
Towns, parks, attractions on/near the Waterway	Pere Marquette State Park Mississippi River State Fish & Wildlife Area Ray Norbut State F & W Area (no launching) Sanganois State F & W Area Peoria Woodford State F & W Area Marshall State F&W Area Donnelley-Depue State F & W Area Starved Rock State Park Buffalo Rock SP (Indian Mounds - No launching) Joliet City of Chicago Visitor Information
Books	The Chicago River - An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways
More Pictures	.
Environmental Issues/Organizations	Study on Fish Populations
Acknowledgments/Contributors	.
Miscellaneous	A cruiser's Log on the Illinois (Chicago to the Mississippi