The Kankakee River Water Trail is a 133 mile long blueway trail that crosses northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America, known as the Grand Kankakee Marsh, and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The original Kankakee River was significantly altered from its original channel, it flows through a primarily rural farming region of reclaimed cropland in Northwest Indiana. Once crossing into Illinois, it entering Illinois, the river returns to its natural channel, winding its way to Momence, Illinois. This is the last section of the Great Kankakee Swamp that has never been ditched. It is at Momence that the river crosses a 7 miles (11 km) limestone shelf, referred to as the Momence Dam. This natural feature's resistance to erosion created a blockage in the flow of the Kankakee River, backing up water and thereby creating the Great Swamp that once covered 500,000 acres (200,000 ha).
Beyond Momence, the river takes on a more traditional image, flowing across the rolling hills of Kankakee County. The river enters Will County, Illinois, for only a short distance before joining the Des Plaines River. Here, in the Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area, the two rivers form the Illinois River for the journey to the Mississippi River. The Kankakee River Basin is an area of high ecological and historic significance and the subject of the PBS Documentary - Everglades of the North - the Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh. The water trail boasts ample public access sites, thousands of acres of natural areas and preserves, remarkable wildlife, overnight camping for paddlers, many historic sites, and a high quality sport fishery.
