Illinois Waterway
Running the width of the state bearing its name, the Illinois Waterway is a system of channels with its beginnings just off Lake Michigan. It consists of eight locks and ends 336 miles to the southwest when it joins with the Mississippi River at Grafton, Ill.
The Complete Listing of Marinas and Locks on the Inland and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways
River Highlights: Historic Bridges on The Waterways
The Inland Waterways are full of historic markers and scenic beauty. One aspect that distinctly sets one mile apart from another is the myriad bridges that span from one bank to the next. A highlight of any thru-boating trip is getting to see these various structures and the communities that they serve. Take a look […] Read More
Dock & Dine
A brief guide to eating your way along the inland waterways By Brad Kovach Part of the fun of cruising on the inland waterways is discovering new places, new people and, for some, new restaurants. To help you reach the highest levels of gastronomic boating bliss during your travels, we’ve compiled a list of spots […] Read More
Invasive Carp Continue Spread In Upper Mississippi Basin
Scientists were worried in 2013 when they found what seemed to be Asian carp eggs and late-stage embryos in the Upper Mississippi River near Lynxville, Wis.—250 miles north of the last known reproducing populations of the invasive plankton eaters they’d been battling for 20 years. Their worries, reported to National Geographic’s worldwide audience in 2014, […] Read More
TowBoatUS Opens New Locations in Racine, Wis., and Waukegan, Ill.
Captain Gareth Stamm, a recreational boat-towing captain and business owner, opened his second TowBoatUS location on the Illinois River last year. Now Stamm is seeing growth potential on Lake Michigan with the opening of TowBoatUS Racine and TowBoatUS Waukegan. The two new locations, which span the Illinois-Wisconsin border, replace TowBoatUS Kenosha, essentially doubling the company’s […] Read More
Booze Cruise: Bars Along the Inland Waterways
It’s the dog days of summer, the sun is beating down, and you’re restless and hot. To break up the cruise and treat your crew at the end of the day, you decide to seek out a dock and grab a cold one. But where do you go? Insert shameless plug: If you have a […] Read More
TowBoatUS Starved Rock Opens
Captain Gareth Stamm, who began operating TowBoatUS Joliet on the Illinois River last year, has extended his service westward, with the opening of TowBoatUS Starved Rock, an on-water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters. “This is an incredibly popular recreational-boating area,” Stamm said, noting that his Joliet base was too far away to give […] Read More
Maritime Group Urges Congress To Fund Carp Efforts
UnLock Our Jobs (UOJ), a coalition of business and industry supporting environmentally friendly domestic maritime commerce organizations, sent a letter to key members of Congress urging funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to further support efforts undertaken in Illinois to slow, stop and reverse the migration of Asian carp through cost-effective measures. In […] Read More
TowBoatUS St. Charles Has New Owner and Home Base
Paul Hopkins, the owner of Port Charles Harbor Marina in St. Charles, Mo., is the new owner of TowBoatUS St. Charles. “TowBoatUS has been providing great service to Mississippi River boaters for the last seven years,” Hopkins said. “As soon as we learned the former owner was leaving, we contacted BoatUS and said we wanted […] Read More