Check Out Illinois Paddling Council’s Blog
In discussing the situation regarding paddlers’ access to Illinois rivers, the IPC is frequently asked how we measure up to other states. The short answer for paddlers: poorly. Which is why IPC supports the passage of HB 4708 and are…
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Saturday, November 14 Please join us for our Annual Dinner and IPC’s Annual Gathering of the Paddlers this year again to be held at The Office Dining and Spirits, a “gastropub” in beautiful downtown St. Charles, Illinois, one of the…
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Gathering of the Paddlers 2026: The IPC Annual Dinner Saturday, November 14, 5-9pm The Office Dining and Spirits, a “gastropub” in beautiful downtown St. Charles, Illinois With Special Guest: Jenny Kempf, Folk Paddler and Scientist Dinner Presentation: “River Trippin’” Paddling…
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By Scott Hays Despite a strong effort involving the re-introduction of a companion bill designed to clarify that Illinois’ many rivers rightfully belong to our citizens and not to landowners owning property along their banks, no action was taken on…
Read MoreThis past spring, I got the opportunity to travel to Japan to run the Tokyo Marathon. While I was there, I took the opportunity to kayak! I found a kayak guide via AirBNB experiences. He had a couple of different…
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2026: Sixty-Nine Years Paddling the Des Plaines River Race day is May, 17, 2026 Registration and all other information at: canoemarathon.com The beautiful course runs 18.5 miles on the upper Des Plaines River in northern Illinois. The race begins in Libertyville,…
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The IPC has begun this Fact Sheet initiative to provide paddlers with the information that can help them get started paddling a variety of Illinois. Please visit this page often as we intend to grow this resource as we move…
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IPC had another great year at Canoecopia 2026, the “largest paddlesports consumer event in the world.” This year, four of our Board members, Christine Chabot, James Tracy, Anthea Halpryn and Scott Hays presented “From Towering Skyscrapers to Cypress Swamps: Paddling…
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Pictured right to left, Don Mueggenborg, Kevin Bradley, Jim Pechous, Anthea Halpryn, Jennifer Miksula, Colton Eagan As the chill of winter fades and Illinois rivers come alive with the promise of spring, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the…
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By Scott Hays, IPC president Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Representative Janet Yang Rohr of Naperville, the lead sponsor for House Bill 1873, the Public Access to Navigable Waters Act which will give all paddlers the right to…
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The IPC relies on our ALL-volunteer organization to make available and disseminate the paddling information our Illinois paddling community needs and wants. We welcome new members to consider joining our Board of Directors to help us guide the overall direction…
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