illinois & michigan canal state trail

Average at best,short trip on a replica canal boat.ride needs to be longer but no cooperation from the state

My wife, daughter, brother and sister-in-law and nieces took the packet boat trip down a portion of the old Illinois and Michigan Canal. Our tour guide Grizzly Dave kept us entertained and informed with his histories of the canal and some of the famous individuals who traveled on it. The boat is two-storied. Once you pass under the bridge, you are encouraged to move upstairs to enjoy the trip in the fresh air. Larry or Moe, the mules, will guide your way down the canal. (If you prefer a more energetic afternoon, a walking trail runs along the canal as well.) The ride is relaxing and not too long. We actually got a little extension on our tour when the boat floated sideways and had to be straightened out. After the boat docked, we explored the remains of one of the canal locks and some of the historical plaques. Note--at the canal site itself there are only porta-potties, but you can use the restrooms at the nearby Lock 19 Cafe where tickets are sold.

we go for a bike ride once a week down the toepath. Nature lovers would enjoy. we see ducks ,turtles, several birds, fish, beavers,mules and much more. the flowers and trees are wonderful. Its safe and lots of fishing going on, there are plenty of people all around. U can walk, jog, bike ride, or take a canal boat ride that has mules. its peaceful and beautiful.

This is a great way to experience the way people traveled until railroad and airplanes change the previously normal means of transport. They run a a small boat (updated but looking like those of an earlier time) a short distance up the I&M canal so you can see how that travel was done. IF there are not long lines waiting it is to be recommended and doesn't take too long.

We wanted to cycle on the I&M Canal trail in Morris, but the canal has been washed out in Morris since the flood of 2013. So, our choice is to head east for the most part. The trail isn't in the best of shape. Some owners let their dogs dump on the trail and don't clean it up, others seem to use the grass on either side of the trail (which turns the small stretches of lawn near the Lock Keepers House into unwalkable minefields of dog-doo.Amenities: Not many. There is a water fountain at the Lock Keepers House (east side), but otherwise, bring your own water, food, snacks, etc, at least for the stretch 7 or 8 miles to the east or west or Morris.Yes, it's fun to bike. It could be so much better if they tried.

I love the Illinois & Michigan Canal bike trail. It's taken three years, but we've done the entire ride from Rockdale all the way to LaSalle (61.5 miles). We've also ridden the bike trails that follow the canal from Willow Springs to Rockdale (25 miles) and connect with the I & M. My daughter made the trip from the north side of Chicago to Ottawa in one day, so it can be done if you are in good shape. Unlike other posters, I can't pick a favorite section.There are many things to like about this trail. Mainly, the beautiful scenery. It's not like the great vistas that you would find in some other places, but more of a simple beauty - woods, creeks and rivers, fields, marshy areas, bluffs, and the remnants of the canal. The small pedestrian bridges over the canal are scenic and I always like crossing them to get another perspective of the water. There are usually wildflowers along the trail; my favorites bloom in late spring - the yellow irises hidden in the marshy areas, and the white and lavender wild phlox. If you're lucky, you'll see some wildlife; we've seen many deer, turtles, small snakes, egrets, a variety of birds, and even a beaver right on the trail who wasn't concerned about our presence. It's a fairly easy ride, very flat, following the canal on what was once the towpath, where mules towed the canal boats. There are very few street crossings, which makes it safe and easy. If you head farther north from Rockdale, you'll need to ride along the streets in Joliet to connect with the Gaylord Donnely, Centennial, Old Plank Road, and Wauponsee Glacial Trails.There is a lot of history here too - you'll see the locks, a locktender's house and the old canal towns. It's interesting thinking about how our ancestors built the canal, and the great effort it took to complete such a massive undertaking. You can still see the canal along the trail, but in some places there is no water - Mother Nature is reclaiming what man once altered. There are small plaques all along the route that give information about the canal, and also provide milage information.The trail is generally in good shape. One exception is the wash out between Buffalo Rock State Park and Utica. The first time we encountered it, we couldn't get around since the water was so high. More recently, we saw that someone had constructed a make shift bridge from long thin pieces of wood, making a fun way to get over the water.Some favorite memories from the trail: Split Rock near Utica; lunch at the friendly Subway right off the trail in Channahon; relaxing at Gebhard Woods; checking out the abandoned Gebhard Brewery Building in Morris and the vultures that reside there; eating sandwiches and cooling off on a hot day at Jimmy John's in Ottawa; admiring the big red grain elevator in Seneca; laying on benches at Channahon State Park; watching the drawbridge go up to allow barges to pass through in Joliet; getting hopelessly lost in Joliet, but discovering Home Cut Donuts and the friendly people there; my husband petting the mules that pull the canal boat in LaSalle. I hope you get to ride along the I & M Canal Trail and create your own happy memories.

Yearly I attempt to cycle from Joliet to Ottawa and back via the I & M trail. Last year I did a total of 120 miles in two days. The I & M is a wonderful experience.

The Illinois & Michigan canal is a significant piece of history in central Illinois. It was an major economic engine and avenue of personal transportation for the area before the railroad development displaced it. It still is wonderful to visit, with bike and walking paths along the canal from LaSalle to Utica. But absolutely not to be missed in the summertime is a trip on the canal on a barge pulled by mules. Mo and Larry, the two mules who move the barge down the canal, leaving from LaSalle multiple times a day. Mo and Larry are charming characters and will pose for pictures, especially of you have an apple for them. It is not a long trip - about an hour - but in addition to a great view of the woods and fields along the canal, a guide on the barge regales the passengers with stories of the history of the canal and the barge and of what travel by barge was like, as it travels along a route that Lincoln may well have traveled in the late 1800's.

The trail is in good shape and beautiful. Start at Buffalo Rock and ride East. There is a washout near Marseilles that is days away from being repaired. Then you can ride through Marseilles and Seneca to Morris. That's at least 40 miles!

The I & M Canal trail is flat and very easy walking. There are informational and mileage podiums along the way. It is peaceful and underused. The one thing that took me by surprise was that part of the trail between Utica and LaSalle was washed out by this last flood. There is no going around it and the state has no money to fix it right now. It is unfortunate but it is still a great walk or easy bike ride. You just can't thru walk or bike the entire trail right now.

done the trail numerous times and always find new sections to look at. Winter is a little cold but that makes it more interesting

This is a great trail to run, bike, or walk. You can bring your fishing poles to many spots along this trail and even camp. I love coming to this trail beacuse of the peacefullness.

My family and I try ride this from LaSalle to Utica every summer. The trail is right along the canal. There is a replica boat that has tours along a short stretch of the canal. We enjoy riding to Utica and then getting some lunch or ice cream there. The path is not paved and there are walkers and runners on the trail too.

In late September 2012 my brother and I rode the I&M Canal Trail between Ottawa and Rock Run. While the entire trail weas enjoyable, the portion between Channahon and Morris was the most scenic. West of Morris the canal is not watered, and in fact portions of the trail are in the canal bed. From Morris east the canal is watered, and the trail is near the Illinois River, making for a much more scenic ride.The trail is in great shape, with the exception of a 5-mile stretch between Marseilles and Ottawa which had numerous rough patches. There are a number of interesting and historic canal features such as locks and lockhouses, water control structures, aqueducts over the Aux Sable River and Fox River, and more. Overall, a very nice ride.