Miller River Front Park

Miller River Front park is located on the Fox River just north of the Miller rd. bridge. This section of the river is a high traffic area. I suggest hitting it during a week day or in the off season. There are a lot of homes and a couple businesses on the river and the water gets pretty choppy. I would say that this is not for the beginners.

This put in is located in a very quiet park. The few times that I have launched from here, there was no one else at the park. Bring your portage wheels, because there is a decent walk to the river. It isn't too bad of a walk and what makes it enjoyable is the heavy canopy.

The bank is a sand so it is super easy to launch. Once you are in, you can head north towards Mchenry, or south to the dam. You can see the dam in the distance so heading south is a pretty short trip. On this occasion, we headed north into downtown Mchenry.


Even with minimal boat traffic, the water can get pretty choppy. We stuck close to the shore and were right off the end of most piers. Once you get up around the corner and see rt 120, there is a small channel that gets you out of the hustle and bustle of the river. D's Marine is at the mouth of the channel. You can take the channel for about 15 minutes at a relaxed paddle before it taps out. Mchenry just gave this section a facelift so it is very pretty after you get past D's Marine. There is even a fountain int he middle of the channel that gives you the feeling that you made a wrong turn and ended up in a downtown fountain.