I had no idea how beautiful Chicago was until my recent September visit. I’m usually a nature person, so I was amazed how much I loved Chicago’s skyscrapers. And the best way to see them? By kayaking the Chicago River. I highly recommend booking a tour with Kayak Chicago.
Kayak Chicago Architecture tour
I signed up for Kayak Chicago’s staple, the architecture tour. It was a Monday morning, and it turned out I was the only person who had booked. We went anyway. Guide Will Nelson gave me a thorough experience of the Chicago River, starting from a mile or so north of downtown so that we saw natural, industrial and architecturally stunning areas.
Paddling Chicago’s Wild Mile
First, the natural. I was surprised to see so much nature so close to downtown Chicago. Thanks to Urban Rivers, animals and people can enjoy the Wild Mile, a floating eco park. Will and I paddled up close to floating gardens and platforms that people can hang out on, looking for turtles, muskrats, beavers, river otters and tons of birds.
“It originally was built for industry and now it’s going back to original marsh land,” Will told me. “It kind of made that full cycle. There’s about 60 species of fish in that spot.”
Paddling downtown Chicago
I’ve done a lot of urban paddling, but this was my favorite place so far. I loved looking up at all the skyscrapers, especially with Will’s enlightening commentary. Then there was the river traffic—big architectural tour boats moving at a brisk clip, other kayaks, and some truly huge tugs and barges. All in a narrow river. We hugged the sides. At one point, I held onto a tree branch as an especially enormous barge passed.
From a kayak you also get a wonderful view of the funny little bridge tenders’ houses tucked in at the edges of bridges. Back when these drawbridges went up and down all the time, somebody had to be there to operate them. And I’ve never seen a city with as many bridges as Chicago.
Other Kayak Chicago tours
Kayak Chicago has three locations—two on Lake Michigan beaches, one on the river. The one on the river is the main location and offers the most organized tours. Evening and nighttime tours include sunset, city lights, and fireworks tours. There’s also a s’mores tour, where you paddle at night and then make s’mores around a firepit at Kayak Chicago HQ.
Will is a substitute teacher during the school year, a kayak guide during summer. He loves being on the river. “I love especially giving tours to people who have lived here their whole lives in Chicago and just never seen the city from this angle,” he said. “It’s also really special for me to make this sport that I’ve grown to love throughout my life accessible to people who haven’t really had access to it before.”
Will recently led a tour for a group of eight Punjabi women who spoke little English. “They’d been here for a couple of years and it was one of their birthdays,” he told me. “They just wanted to try something new and adventurous. None of them had ever been in a boat of any kind. And it was so awesome to make that possible for them, and make it safe and make them comfortable in their boats. They loved it. They had a great time.”
This story warmed my heart because I love when people feel the joy a river can add to a city, and to our own individual lives.
