Experience the beauty of the Little Calumet River by joining Openlands and partners on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 from 9 am -2:00 pm for a day of cleaning up the river and/or learning to canoe/kayak, followed by lunch provided at Kickapoo Woods.
The Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Marathon and Minithon (May 22, 2022)
The annual Des Plaines River Canoe & Kayak Race is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon and enjoy beautiful Illinois scenery.
The course runs 18.5 miles on the upper Des Plaines River in northern Illinois. Beginning in Libertyville and ending in Mount Prospect, this event is fun for all ages and skill levels. Added in 2014, the 5.25 mile Minithon ends at the same finish line as the longstanding 18.5 mile paddle. The post race party continues with food, music, awards and story swapping.
Experience the African American Heritage Water Trail
Experience the African American Heritage Water Trail
Few people realize that Lake Michigan is connected to the Mississippi River by a series of waterways, including The Little Calumet River. The river flows through several south-side Chicago neighborhoods and 180 years of African American history—sites and figures whose impact remains with us today.
The Heritage Water Trail honors this history by memorializing the remarkable stories of African Americans who settled along the river: freedom seekers who traveled the Underground Railroad, trailblazers who defied discrimination, learned to fly, and became Tuskegee Airmen, and pioneers in the struggle for civil rights and environmental justice. These stories of courage and fortitude have shaped our nation.
Volunteer with Forest Preserves of Cook County’s Community Paddling Program
The Forest Preserves of Cook County and the Cook County Department of Public Health have started an innovative, ground breaking program to make paddling accessible to beginners, groups, and those who do not own their own boats through a community paddling initiative, the Greater Maywood Paddling Program and Kayak Gear Library. The program provides opportunities for organized groups within the Maywood community to connect to nature and water through kayaking experiences. Group leaders of participating community partners will be trained on kayaking, use and care of kayaking gear and how to lead groups on kayaking trips. Once certified, trained leaders will have access to the use of the Kayak Gear Library which has the supplies for an organized group paddling trip.
