Log for Sunday, June 29, 2003

Fox River at Voyagers Landing Forest Preserve, IL
Rock Cut State Park, IL
Lake Kegonsa, WI

I really love the fact that you are not charged any fees in Illinois State Parks. That fact alone is almost enough to make me forgive the state for the impossible driving conditions surrounding Chicago on I-90. Still, I managed to get past Chicago and stop for a great kayak on the Fox River at Voyagers Landing Forest Preserve.

The Fox River is a tributary of the Mississippi River by way of the Illinois River. Voyageur Landing near Elgin, Illinois, provides boat access to the Fox River. Voyageur Landing is located on Frontage Road (Airport Road) along Fox River, just off I-90. This is an easy stop off the highway near Elgin at Exit Route 31 North. The Fox River can be seen from the highway as you drive over the bridge towards the exit for the Voyagers Landing Forest Preserve. Turn right on Tollgate Road off of Route 31. Go to the first light (Airport Rd.) and turn right. Follow this road to the river and the entrance to Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve. Turn left into park.

There is a boat launch and parking area just as you enter the Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve, but I actually launched a bit further upriver. If you continue to drive through the Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve you will come to a very nice kayak launch area and parking lot less than a quarter mile from the entrance. Here I was greeted by a family of ducks as I launched into the Fox River. The current is swift but manageable in this area of the river. The shoreline is very interesting and after kayaking under the I-90 overpass the river opens up into a very wide, easy-flowing channel. It is possible to launch, go downstream and paddle back to your original launch site, but it would be much more fun to arrange to have someone pick you up further downstream. You should take care to watch for people fishing as you come close to shore.

Towns located on the Fox River include St. Charles, Elgin, Aurora, Geneva, and Yorkville, Illinois. A bike trail called the Fox River Trail runs for miles along the Fox River and is part of the Trails for Rails system of bike trails (http://www.trailsfromrails.com.) The Friends of the Fox River website is located at http://www.friendsofthefoxriver.org/.

Next I drove to Rock Cut State Park near Rockford, Illinois. The park is a popular spot for boating and fishing at Pierce Lake. The lake is named for State Representative William Pierce of Rockford, who served in the legislature from 1951-1966 and who proposed the first land acquisition for the park in 1955. The lake is well stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish and channel catfish, bullhead, northern pike, muskellunge and walleye.

It was a pretty busy Sunday afternoon on the lake when I arrived on a gorgeous sunny day. I was the only kayaker at the launch area, but there were lots of canoes and small fishing boats. I launched at the gently sloping small beach area to the right of the concrete boat ramp. I managed to paddle down to a secluded area of the lake where I spotted a large beaver lodge and lots of interesting birds, including orioles and small yellow canaries.

After my paddle I struck up a conversation with a gentleman wearing a Canoe and Kayak magazine baseball cap who told me that Castle Rock State Park was a stop I must add to my trip. He said the Rock River was a great river to kayak.

I drove past Lake Koshkonong near Newville, Wisconsin (Highway 59 and I-90 bridge), and wished that I had had time to stop to kayak there. The lake was an easy exit off I-90 and looked very inviting but I had to make it to Lake Kegonsa, Wisconsin that night because I had a campsite reserved. Next time I will definitely make Lake Koshkonong and the Rock River required kayak stops.

I made it to Lake Kegonsa State Park in the early evening and went for a brief kayak on Lake Kegonsa before setting up camp in the very large group campsite A that I had booked online. The ranger on duty came and checked in on me and that made me feel very secure. I settled into my campsite for the evening, cooked a nice meal on my Coleman stove and slept with the clear sky and bright stars above me.