A Pioneering Program

When Friends of the Chicago River was founded, canoeing on the river was unheard of in recent memory. Friends’ Urban Canoe Adventures was the first organized canoeing program on the Chicago River in over a century, since Native tribes and their canoe traditions were forced off of the lands and waters of Chicago. 

In the early 1990s, Friends' program consisted of little more than a single guide and a few boats, entering the river wherever the bank was accessible. While others turned their back on the river, we were promoting it as a natural resource for recreation. More than 30 years since those humble beginnings, we've grown a robust program which introduces more than 1,000 people to the Chicago-Calumet River system each year.

Today, there is much more public access to canoeing and kayaking and each year, more and more people explore the river by boat. 

A Force for Change

Friends believes canoeing is, in a sense, a form of grassroots environmental activism. Paddlers depend on healthy water for a safe, enjoyable experience. Our canoeing program was an integral part of the process to raise the Chicago River's water quality standards. With people recreating in and on the Chicago River, issues of river cleanliness became more urgent. When Friends and other environmental organizations proved the river was actively used as a recreational resource, the Illinois Pollution Control Board increased water quality standards to protect both river users and aquatic life as required by the U.S. Clean Water Act. Learn more about efforts to disinfect the Chicago-Calumet River system.

The Canoe Program advances many of Friends goals: working on the Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River initiative to provide on-the-water cleanup events; providing access to riverbanks for plantings; bringing out elected officials, teachers and students to see river wildlife upclose; and creating fun, memorable experiences open to the public throughout the watershed. Check the events page for upcoming trips.

Friends' Canoe Program is here to make the river accessible to everyone. First time paddlers are especially encouraged to come out with us as we have the experienced guides who will provide paddling instruction and on the water safety monitoring. Private trips are available for businesses, schools and other community orgainzations. Visit our Canoe Program General Information page for more information on planning a private paddle with Friends.

For more Information, contact Annette Anderson at aanderson@chicagoriver.org.

Here is a map of the primary launches Friends utilizes to access the river. For a more complete map of river access, visit Friends' Explore the Chicago-Calumet River Watersheds map.