Sunkonce its been awhile since I boated up there from Ottawa, Illinois... but we took the Des Plaines river after it split with the Illinois and Kankakee Rivers.... Many Many locks, lots of waiting to get locked through.... From the Des Plaines we began on the Chicago Sanitation Canal... not my first choice of boating... many towboats moving barges, CEMENT WALLS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CANAL... for miles! lift bridges at some points... I would suggest leaving early when you begin on the Des Plains River... I now believe there maybe a speed limit in the Canal and if that's the case, good luck! The good part of going that way is that you will run the Chicago River through downtown Chi-town! Awesome to see up close and personal.... we stayed over night at the Marina Towers slips and also stayed at the Chicago Yacht Club... At the time I belonged to a boat club so getting into the Yacht Club wasn't too much of a problem... if you belong to the Great Lakes Cruising Club it will open doors for you on the Lake! I would suggest to call and make reservations asap for anywhere in that area, especially 4th of July weekend... Chicago will be packed with its fireworks at Grant Park! Becareful and Safe Boating!
