Finding Dunns Lake

With I announce this quest last week on the Facebook page, and a few days later I made the trek. I just remembered that this lake was there. It is part of the chain o lakes system, so you do need a FWA sticker ($10) but once you get a taste of the chain, you will use it all the time.

I set out from Lighthouse Marina again just north of Pistakee Lake. I cut straight across and headed into Nippersink Lake via the rt 12 bridge. As soon as you make it under that rt 12 bridge, there is a cove to the west. In that cove is a little bridge you can pass under to get to Nippersink Lake, or you can come around the side of the island at the end of the no wake. I went around the island this time. Dunns Lake is hidden on the west side of Nippersink Lake. If you don't know it is there or are not looking for it, it will look like a small channel filled with homes.

I came up the channel at the far southwest side of Nippersink Lake. It was a very quite channel and there were some lily pads growing that added to the serenity. The paddle into Dunns Lake is nice and easy. Once you get into Dunns Lake, you can see the whole lake right away. I paddled around and then hit the small channel that is at the West side of the lake. It turns into a private channel around the bend, but it is still a nice peaceful channel to paddle. The color of the water on Dunns Lake is very different than the rest of the chain. It was a bright green color rather than the dull brown that the rest of the lakes have. It was very pretty.

Leaving Dunns Lake, I took the first channel that shoots out East. That took me to the North side of Nippersink. In that channel I came across some Beavers. I forget how big those guys are until I see them again. As I exited the channel I came across 2 swimming towards me. I set my paddle down and just coasted towards them as they swam towards me. One cut across my bow and slapped the water to my right and the other swam passed very close on the left. It was very cool to see them so close.

Back on Nippersink Lake, I paddled north to the Grass Lake Bridge. At this time, the sun was setting and I popped my light on. Once I got up to Grass Lake Bridge it was dark out. The paddle home was quiet and a little spooky. That spooky feeling added to the uniqueness of the trip though.

As I came down the East side of Nippersink Lake, I saw a cloud filled with lightning far to the east. It wasn't coming my way, but it was eerie to see so much lighting in the sky. I stayed way over to the east in order to stay out of the main drag of late fishermen racing around. There was one portion that I was vulnerable and that was at the No Wake gap between Nippersink and Fox Lake. I came into the no wake from the North and paddled as hard as I could to the south. I wasn't near any boats, but my eyes were wide and my head was on a swivel just to make sure that I was alone in the area. The rest of the trip was peaceful in the dark. I was never bothered by wakes or close calls. It was a great trip and I would encourage you to go check out Dunns Lake if you get the chance.

16 Miles of Nippersink Creek

I have been wanting to take this day trip for a while now and I attempted it a few weeks ago, but got stopped at the dam. That was my Wonder Lake trip. This time I planned it out and made the move. I paddled Nippersink Creek from Keystone landing (Just North of Wonder Lake) to Pistakee Lake. The trip was about 16 miles and took about 6 hours. It was all downstream, so paddling was not tough.

My little paddling buddy and I got dropped off at Keystone Landing and we started down stream. The section from Keystone to the bike bridge is all prairie with tall banks. There were a lot of flowers in bloom so that made this section very bright and summery. It was a wonderful start. There are some "small rapids" in this section too. This was our first time navigating quick water so that was exciting for us. It was a little unnerving seeing the size of some of the rocks that made the rapids. It was fun to read the water and guide the 16 foot canoe through the ripples.

Once you pass the bike bridge, you head into a wooded section of the trip. From Keystone to Pioneer Landing, you are in Glacial Park. You will see that there are very little trees blocking the river. It is well kept and an easy section to handle. Most of the rental trips head between these to points. This was the only area that I passed other paddlers.

Once passed Pioneer Landing, there is another shallow rapid section. I snagged the bottom in this section and had to stick a foot out to scoot through. I was now out of Glacial Park and there were more obstacles to overcome. The creek passes through a dairy farm and there are 2 fence lines that pass through the creek. I had heard about this and was a little concerned about the barbed wire. I did not know what to expect. Once we came to the first fence, I realized that they were not going to be an issue. I have also heard that you may be joined by cows in the creek in this section. We saw a lot of hoof marks, but no cows today.

A lot of this area is in and out of the trees. The creek runs pretty quick and there are so low parts. The water seemed to be at a normal level when we went. Getting closer to Lyle C Thomas Landing, you start seeing some houses on the creek. There are a few that are absolutely amazing.

After Lyle C., it is about 4 miles to the canoe base. In this stretch, we had to jump a few logs. This was the first time I had to do this also. I had seen it in some Youtube videos, so I was fairly calm in doing so, but I was still a little nervous. I got the bow of the canoe over the downed tree and then scooted it until I could transfer my weight to the other side of the canoe. Much like a teeter totter. There was one tree that we hopped that was in some quick moving water. The boat wanted to turn sideways on me, but we were able to stay upright and get over the log.

Once you get to the Canoe Base, it is clear sailing. There are no more tight turns, no more downed trees and no more tight passages. It is just calm, slow moving water. There are a lot of homes in the section from the Canoe Base to the lakes. You will know that you are getting closer to the lakes too because you will start seeing pontoon and motor boats docked behind people's homes. As you exit Nippersink Creek, you come into a no wake zone. I passed through the boat traffic and headed to Lighthouse Marina. It is straight across from the mouth of the Nippersink. It is a great spot to get out at. Once you are in the lakes, you can spend hours and hours out there if you want. After the 6 hour trip down the creek, I was ready to put the paddle down and soak in the memories that we had created that day.

Sanctuary In The "No Wake"

I dropped into the Chain-O-Lakes this week for a little sunset paddle. The boat traffic is starting to wind down out on the lakes, but there are still a lot of boats out there. I went out on Tuesday and it was very nice. The weather was great and the boat traffic was fairly light. I stuck to the shoreline, staying inside the 'no wake' areas for protection. Doing so doesn't protect you from the waves, but it does keep the boat traffic at your speed......slow.

I headed out of Lighthouse Marina and paddled North. I passed under the famous "Beer Can Bridge" and watched a new bottle get put in place by the boater in front of me.

I stuck to the East shoreline of Nippersink Lake and made the bend around the point to Fox Lake. The area around Pistakee Lake and Nippersink Lake is all no wake and then once you get about half way up the shore to the North, another no wake area starts and continues around the bend to Fox Lake. Once I got around the corner to Fox Lake, the water changed. It had been nice and calm (other than boat wakes) but once I got around the corner I was fighting a strong breeze and some waves.

I paddled into Mineola Bay and fought the waves, wakes, and breeze for the mile on Fox Lake. The old Mineola Hotel is pretty cool to see from the water so if your in the area, stop by and check it out. There is also a bar there if you are into that.

I paddled back around the point and passed through Nippersink again. This time I passed under the rt 12 bridge to the west of Beer Can Bridge. I was in the mix of some larger boats, but I was in the no wake zone so I was able to carry my own. I came around the back side of the island right there and paddled out to some open water. The area just south of that island is only about 2-3 feet deep but is muddy as heck. There are a few power boaters that cut through that area so be careful. I saw 2 boats pass through as I was sitting there. I cut across to the East side of the lake (another no wake area) and paddled down to the southern point. That is where I hung out in some flat water and watched the sun drop. It was a perfect evening to watch the sunset on the water.

Between 2 Dams

I made my way down to Elgin, Illinois this weekend. There is a section of the Fox river that passes through Downtown Elgin and continues South into South Elgin. The stretch is only about 6 miles between the dams, but there is a lot to see and it is a transition area from city to residential. You get a taste of both worlds.

I dropped in off rt 31 just south of 20. There is a State Police complex and Elgin Shores County Forest Preserve is right next to it. You drop in on the West side of the river. There is plenty of parking and a concrete launch. I found it easier to just portage from the lot rather than unload at the ramp.

From the launch, it is about a 1.5 mile paddle to the northern dam in Elgin. Right off the bat you pass under rt 20 and 2 railroad bridges. They make a pretty cool crisscross over the river. The bridges are all covered in graffiti too, so you know your coming into a 'down town' area. As you come under the next bridge, you see the metra station on your left and the massive Grand Victoria riverboat casino. It isn't until you are right next to it until you realize how huge this thing is. There is a life boat that is about 12 feet long and it is lost on the lower deck of this floating building.

Once you pass the riverboat, you come under one more bridge and you see the Pace Bus Terminal on your left and a beautiful island park straight ahead. The bus terminal hangs over the river a little and is an interesting building from the water. The island park has a paver lock shore, so if you would like to get out and rest, it would be pretty easy to do so. The park is 2 small islands just south of the dam. I paddled up the West side of the park and hugged the north shore of it near the dam. The current was swift, but not hard to paddle in. And it was plenty deep where as you were not hitting bottom with a normal stroke. I came around the north side of the island and then coasted back down the East side. It was a nice place to take a break and just let the current take you back to the river boat.

Once past the launch again, it is another 1.5 miles to the south dam. This stretch is all river homes and undeveloped shoreline. The water was a mirror all the way to the dam. It was perfect. The dam is marked with buoys, but it is hard to see the actual dam (you are at the top side of the dam). Pay attention and you should not be able to miss the signage.

Coming back north I found a creek on the East side of the river. It is just south of the forest preserve. The mouth of the creek was very shallow, but passable. I would suggest trying it out. It was pretty neat once you got into the creek. Once past the shallow section, it got plenty deep again. The creek winds under a few bridges, and then back into the Welch Bros Concrete property. It got a little eerie back in there. There were some old machinery covered in forest along the shoreline and some things poking into the water. It was like a universal studios movie set back there. I got to a walking bridge and had to turn around due to the current. It was well worth the paddle though. Very interesting little area.

The variety of bridges you pass under on the creek is what made the trip. There was everything from a towering train bridge to an old stone arch. It was pretty cool to see.

This is a great little section to paddle for a few hours. It is about 6 miles of easy paddling and there is a variety of things to see. Like many areas on the edge of a populated city, there is a lot of random trash. I counted 3 shopping carts laying in the shallow water and one TV. The interesting thing about this section is that you can see the transition from city to nature. A Blue Heron sitting on a half submerged shopping cart is oddly beautiful. It is like nature is saying, "Whatever you throw at me, I can handle."

Here is a link to more pics from this trip and other trips on the Fox River.