From 0 to 133 in 90 days
The table below charts the 100-ish miles of my river fever. I’ve organized my travels roughly by mile markers and landmarks, north to south, as the river flows. By way of orientation, I consider the river’s source in Union Grove, WI to be Mile 0, and I consider its confluence with the Illinois River in Channahon as Mile 133, which is the exact opposite of how rivers are charted and navigated. But I didn’t navigate it. I walked it.
For reference, “mile #,” means a mile of river, which I determined using Google Maps. Astute observers may note that the distances between river miles may not match the distances of the trails or routes I walked in those locations. That’s because the trails rarely follow the river’s actual course, and tend to not be nearly as twisty and meandering as the river. For example, the section of the Des Plaines River Trail between Wadsworth Road and Skokie Highway runs from river mile 32.4 to river mile 37.2, which my elementary school math tells me should be 4.8 miles, but the trail section I walked was exactly 4 miles.
| Mile # | Date visited | County | Location | Distance walked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 12/11/22 | Racine | Union Grove | 1 |
| 3.3 | 12/11/22 | Kenosha | Pleasant Prairie | 8.5 |
| 26.5 | 1/10/23 | Lake | Zion/Wadsworth (DPRT) | 6.6 |
| 33.3 | 1/30/23 | Lake | Gurnee (DPRT) | 5.8 |
| 44.3 | 12/13/22 | Lake | Libertyville (DPRT) | 8 |
| 50.7 | 12/21/22 | Lake | Mettawa (DPRT) | 7.75 |
| 54.2 | 1/2/23 | Lake | Riverwoods (DPRT) | 4.25 |
| 58.8 | 11/30/22 | Cook | Northbrook/Wheeling (DPRT) | 5 |
| 62.4 | 11/29/22 | Cook | Des Plaines (DPRT) | 10.45 |
| 74 | 12/12/22 | Cook | Chicago (DPRT) | 4 |
| 78 | 10/7/22 | Cook | River Grove (DPRT) | 2.4 |
| 81 | 10/2/22 | Cook | River Forest | 2 |
| 83 | 12/7/22 | Cook | Forest Park | 2.5 |
| 86 | 2/13/23 | Cook | Riverside | 4.5 |
| 90.5 | 12/30/22 | Cook | Lyons | 2 |
| 92.7 | 12/31/22 | Cook | Desolation Blvd. | 2.3 |
| 96.2 | 12/20/22 | Cook | Willow Springs (CT) | 4 |
| 101.6 | 12/20/22 | DuPage | Lemont (CT) | 5.5 |
| 106.7 | 2/26/22 | Will | Romeoville (CT) | 3 |
| 109.8 | 2/19/22 | Will | Lockport (I&M) | 2 |
| 113 | 12/19/22 | Will | Joliet | 1.75 |
| 122 | 1/24/23 | Will | Will Co. FP (x6) | 4 |
| 133 | 12/15/22 | Will | Channahon (I&M) | 6.5 |
| Riverfront miles: | 102.10 |