DuPage River Water Trails

The DuPage River is a small-to-medium-sized stream flowing north to south through DuPage and Will counties and ending at its confluence with the Des Plaines River in Channahon.

The DuPage consists of east and west branches which meet south of Naperville. Together, they make up eighty-four miles of waterway that drain a watershed of 326 square miles.

The East Branch is largely channelized and the West Branch is mostly natural and meandering. Scenery along its East and West branches is mostly suburban with low grassy banks, while the DuPage itself is mostly rural. The lower part of the West Branch has several developed canoe launch sites. However, both branches are shallow in their upper stretches and occasionally difficult to paddle doe to low water in the summer months.

The upper stretches of both branches run through residential neighborhoods. The upper East Branch resembles a channelized drainage ditch more than a potential recreational resource. Therefore, the upper sections of both branches are not recommended for development as water trails.

West Branch—Beginning at Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve, near Bartlett, the West Branch flows through a number of DuPage County Forest Preserves. The Forest Preserve District is developing a greenway along its banks protecting the river from development and providing a peaceful, wildlife rich experience for paddlers. Log jams across this narrow stream and shallow stretches are occasional obstacles.

Lions Park on Beecher Road in Winfield is the first developed canoe launch. It is followed downstream by at least three more developed launch sites before the DuPage’s confluence with the East Branch making this section very easy to develop as a water trail.

East Branch—The usually canoeable part of the East Branch begins south of Warrenville Road in Lisle. A narrow stream through most of its length, the river flows through a city park in Lisle and Greene Valley Forest Preserve between Woodridge and Naperville making development of access on existing public property possible. There are no developed launch sites on the East Branch.

DuPage River—The confluence of the two branches is approximately one-half mile downstream of the public landing in Knoch Knolls Park, on the south side of Naperville. A Will County forest preserve is planned for a site at 111th St. (the old Zion Church) and may include boat access. However, a long stretch of approximately thirteen miles of private, mostly rural property follows between 111th St. and the Riverside Parkway Canoe Access (just south of Caton Farm Road). Hammel Woods Forest Preserve in Shorewood provides an access site at the dam on the north side of Route 52. Downstream, a short section (approximately one-half mile) located between I-80 and Shepley Road, west of Channahon, has a gradient of ten feet per mile which at higher water levels creates an exciting set of rapids for white water enthusiasts.

During the development of this plan, the dam at Channahon was under reconstruction. A portage route will be needed around the finished structure. The DuPage River Water Trail would end at the I&M Canal State Trail parking lot in Channahon; however, development of a launch site at this location could also serve as access to the I&M Canal and as access to and from the lower Des Plaines one half mile downstream.

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