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Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
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State Park Overview |
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Camping |
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Class "C" and Youth Group camping are allowed along the Hennepin Canal Parkway at the following locations
Lock 11, West of the Canal Prism
Lock 17, Northwest of the lock
Lock 21, North Day Use Area (drinking water available)
Bridge 14, North bank.
Lock 22, Southwest of the lift bridge (drinking water available)
Bridge 23, South bank
Lock 23, just West of the parking lot.
Lock 26, South bank
Equestrian camping is restricted to the south side of the Lock 21 area. Please clean up after your horses. |
Trails |
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Hiking
An old tow path, originally intended but never used by animals for towing boats along the canals main line and feeder routs, provides 155 miles of one-foot-after-the-other fun. Because youre right next to the canal, youll get a great view of its locks and aqueducts, not to mention the animal life. The going is level and easy at the Hennepin -- but be sure to make several stops along the way if youre hiking the canals entire length.
If youre up to something more challenging, try the 4.5-mile trek in the main complex which is moderately difficult and gives you a broad taste of landscape from tall timber to grasslands to marsh.
Hiking here is particularly satisfying in the fall, when Mother Nature works her wonders on the leaves.
Bicycling
With the completion of the new trail surface, mountain bikes are no longer a necessity. East to west the trail is surfaced from Bureau Junction, near the Illinois River, to Colona on the Rock River. There is a Feeder Canal to Rock Falls, 29.2 miles long, completed. Bring your own refreshments as only three areas along the corridor have water (Locks 21, 22 and the Visitor Center). Be sure to yield the right of way to horses. |
Picnicking |
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Boating |
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Fishing and Hunting |
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Fishing
If canoeing is your sport, come ready for a workout! The waters are calm so back and arm power are required. The many locks are no longer operational and must be portaged (from Lock 21 east is particularly tough). For a great 1-2 day trip, begin at Rock Falls and continue to the Visitor Center.
Hunting
Take a shot at dove hunting during season at the parks main complex. Or enjoy waterfowl hunting on Lake Sinnissippi near the Rock River. More than 30 blind sites are awarded in an annual draw. |
History of the Area |
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The Hennepin Canal is more than just a fun place. It played a very important role in the history of the United States and to commerce and industry. In fact, the entire canal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Thoughts of constructing a canal that connected the Illinois and Mississippi River date back to 1834. But financial problems in the state held back many public works projects. Pressure for a transportation shortcut that was cheaper than rail continued though, and Congress authorized preliminary surveys on the project in 1871. Construction finally got under way in 1892 and the first boat went through in 1907, reducing the distance from Chicago to Rock Island by 419 miles. There was a problem, however. As this canal was under construction, the Corps of Engineers was widening the locks on both the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. With lock chambers twenty and forty feet narrower than the rivers it connected, the canal was obsolete before the Marion made her initial voyage.
By the 1930s it was used primarily for recreational traffic. The Hennepin and its sister canal, the I & M, tied the Illinois, Des Plaines and Mississippi river systems into a transportation network connecting Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico. The I & M was completed nearly 60 years earlier and helped make Chicago one of the nations greatest cities. The Hennepin Canal, which at one time was known as the Illinois and Mississippi Canal, was open to boat traffic until 1951. There was no cost to use the canal. Ice made from the canals frozen waters was sold during the winters to help pay the canals maintenance costs.
The Hennepin was the first American canal built of concrete without stone cut facings. Although the Hennepin enjoyed limited success as a waterway, engineering innovations used in its construction were a bonus to the construction industry. Some of the innovations pioneered on the Hennepin Canal were probably used on the Panama Canal. Both used concrete lock chambers and both used a Feeder canal from a man made lake to water the canals because both needed water to flow ?uphill.?
There are 33 locks on the canal. Thirty-two are still visible. The first one, on the Illinois River, has been under water since the 1930s. Fourteen of the locks had Marshall gates, which are unique to the Hennepin, and are raised and lowered on a horizontal axis, much like a rural mailbox. Five of the locks have been restored to working condition, although they are not used. One of these is a Marshall Gate lock. All of the gates from the remaining locks have been replaced with concrete walls, creating a series of waterfalls.
The Hennepin originally had nine aqueducts -- concrete troughs which carried the canal and its traffic across larger rivers and streams. Today, six remain the other three are replaced by pipes that carry the canal flow under the creek or river the aqueduct crossed over. |
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More Info | |
... canal Lock 22girder lift bridge Bureau County, IL Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park Museum near Sheffield, Bureau County, IL Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park ... | |
DNR ... peaceful, relaxing day of picnicking, hiking, fishing and good old fashioned family fun? Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park is just the place youre looking for. Spend the day and bring a picnic ... | |
... National Register of Historic Places. History, Natural Beauty, and Recreation makes the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park an important resource for all the communities along its banks. How do you ... | |
... and educational opportunities and preserve the historical features of the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park. "Friends" Directors PresidentGary Wagle, Rock Island Vice PresidentDuke Mueller ... | |
... STATE PARK TRAIL ROCK ISLAND STATE TRAIL HENNEPIN CANAL PARKWAY STATE PARK TRAIL STARVED ROCK STATE PARK LODGE WHITE PINES ... me to Illinois website HENNEPIN CANAL PARKWAY STATE PARK TRAIL Path ... | |
... golf cart rental, picnic areas, lounge. Open to the public. (815) 872-2641 Sheffield HENNEPIN CANAL PARKWAY STATE PARK AND MAUTINO STATE PARK Off I-80, Route 40. Originally a man-made corridor to ... | |
Community and Business information for the northern Illinois area ... Franklin Grove, IL 61031 / (815) 456-2878. Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park / Miles75 / Whiteside, Henry and Bureau Counties The ... | |
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... Act. 615 ILCS 95/ Vermilion River Middle Fork Act. 615 ILCS 100/ McHenry County Dam Act. 615 ILCS 105/ Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park Act. 615 ILCS 110/ Kankakee River Dam Transfer Act. [ Top ] | |
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Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
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