A whitewater rapids course in Yorkville is quiet on a recent rainy weekday, but is expected to be busy when the Illinois Whitewater Festival arrives on July 13.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Yorkville’s whitewater rapids offer a taste of Colorado

Why go to Colorado for whitewater canoeing or kayaking when Yorkville is a short drive away.

Yorkville?

The Kendall County seat now features a recreational whitewater course on the south bank of the Fox River near downtown and will host the Illinois Whitewater Festival on July 13.

The Marge Cline Whitewater Course is located east of downtown and Illinois Route 47 at Bicentennial Riverfront Park. 

Reconstruction of the Glen D. Palmer Dam several years ago allowed for creation of a divider island and an 1,100-foot long bypass channel for fish and kayakers alike. 

American Whitewater, a national association of whitewater enthusiasts, said the course is partly a bypass channel around the dam with a second “challenge” channel that allows whitewater boaters a place to “practice and play,” according to the group.

“This is not a multi-featured full-length course,” American Whitewater wrote on the group’s website (americanwhitewater.org). “It is primarily a canoe-bypass and fish ladder, and a couple of relatively mild play spots. However, it is a wonderful and convenient place for Greater Chicago area boaters to go play in moving water with playable features.”

The recreational facility, owned by the state of Illinois, is free and open to all.
According to the City of Yorkville, the Fox River drops almost six-feet between the eastern and western edges of the chute with portage points provided at both ends of the facility. There’s also a 12-foot wide concrete portage that allows paddlers to walk their canoes, kayaks or tubes around the dam.

That drop in the river allows for whitewater activity even when levels on the often-languid Fox River are low.

Don’t have a canoe or kayak? Rentals are via Geneva Kayak’s Yorkville location at 301 E. Hydraulic St.  Free parking for the course is available at all city municipal lots. City lots are located off-site and will require paddlers to carry equipment to the nearby site.

The Illinois Whitewater Festival is part of weekend activities that include a Music Under the Stars concert and Second annual Ribs on the River event on Friday, July 12.

Saturday’s whitewater activities run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will include whitewater kayak mini-lessons, rafting challenges, kayak biathalon, and a boat regatta. More information is available at: www.facebook.com/MargeClineWhitewaterCourse.

Last year’s festival was cancelled due to drought conditions and low river water levels.

More development is planned at the park. Yorkville recently received a $400,000 state grant for improvements to  include a canoe beach, fishing pier, boat launch, playground, shared-use path, woodland restoration with nature/interpretive trail, lighting, and improvements to the existing brick walkway and shelter.