I went on a 42 Mile trip down the Kishwaukee and later Rock Rivers. I started in Belvidere, and ended in Oregon. It was a 3 day trip with 0 portages. There were plenty of campsites, solitude, and current.
Day 1: We started in Belividere, just after the downtown park dam. I talked to the park district and got permission to leave a car for the 3 days, right at the launch point. We would go about 14 miles this day, all on the Kishwaukee.
The kish seemed to be at a low water level. We scrapped up on sandbars a ton, and had to dodge plenty of pillows/exposed boulders. The current was solid 1-2mph, which helped. We did have to portage around fallen trees about halfway through the day. It was slightly annoying, but not too bad.
We would pass by Rt. 90, then setup camp just past blackhawk forest preserve. We found a spot that had a low shoreline and walked up to a nice riverside campground. While we were close by a forest preserve, we were undisturbed all night. It was a little tricky to find, but we pressed on and got there. Just had to paddle hard and be decisive.
The kish seemed to be at a low water level. We scrapped up on sandbars a ton, and had to dodge plenty of pillows/exposed boulders. The current was solid 1-2mph, which helped. We did have to portage around fallen trees about halfway through the day. It was slightly annoying, but not too bad.
We would pass by Rt. 90, then setup camp just past blackhawk forest preserve. We found a spot that had a low shoreline and walked up to a nice riverside campground. While we were close by a forest preserve, we were undisturbed all night. It was a little tricky to find, but we pressed on and got there. Just had to paddle hard and be decisive.
Day 2: Spent half the day on the Kishwaukee, then the other half on the Rock river. We would wind up going about 15 miles this day, casually paddling. We would stop for lunch by one of the islands right by the two rivers merge. We then would set up camp just outside of Byron, on the north river shore.
The Kish continued to be low throughout the morning. We would scrap up a bunch of times, but passed by alright. Close to the end, the river splits into 2 smaller channels. We went left, and it was fine. The right side looked blocked off at first, but then wide open at the end. The current remained solid.
The Rock River would take us for the 2nd half of the day. The current was a bit slower, but surprising strong. We also had a strong counter balancing headwind, so we had to paddle strongly to keep pace. We completed 7 miles in about 3 hours.
We would wind up camping just outside of Byron. Close enough to town to hear some traffic, but remote enough. We found a nice beach covered by trees just east of the 1st downtown bridge. It was fine, and we were undisturbed. It was an easy and nice launch site.
The Kish continued to be low throughout the morning. We would scrap up a bunch of times, but passed by alright. Close to the end, the river splits into 2 smaller channels. We went left, and it was fine. The right side looked blocked off at first, but then wide open at the end. The current remained solid.
The Rock River would take us for the 2nd half of the day. The current was a bit slower, but surprising strong. We also had a strong counter balancing headwind, so we had to paddle strongly to keep pace. We completed 7 miles in about 3 hours.
We would wind up camping just outside of Byron. Close enough to town to hear some traffic, but remote enough. We found a nice beach covered by trees just east of the 1st downtown bridge. It was fine, and we were undisturbed. It was an easy and nice launch site.
Day 3: spent 12 miles on the rock today. We paddled at an average pace, and completed the run around 2pm. We would launch around 9:30am, and just snacked through the day. The current was reasonable, but we paddled hard to keep a solid pace. The river follows the road a lot here, so there was a lot of road noise. We only saw two other boats this day, one river lunch barge and one fisherman.
This part of the river was decent. It would have been much better without the road. Ther was a ton of nature on the north side of the river. Towards the end, about a mile shy of the exit point, you can see the blackhawk statue.
Our exit point was on the river's right, just before the dam. We parked locally, so while I packed up the boat, he walked to his car. Oregon has flexible street parking.
Overall, good trip. Lots of paddling, and lots of nature. As always there were challenges, but it was very worthwhile to get a good look at two rivers.
This part of the river was decent. It would have been much better without the road. Ther was a ton of nature on the north side of the river. Towards the end, about a mile shy of the exit point, you can see the blackhawk statue.
Our exit point was on the river's right, just before the dam. We parked locally, so while I packed up the boat, he walked to his car. Oregon has flexible street parking.
Overall, good trip. Lots of paddling, and lots of nature. As always there were challenges, but it was very worthwhile to get a good look at two rivers.
RSS Feed
