Directions: The Gowe Park canoe launch, located at the west end of McClure Road and on the east bank of the river, can be accessed from the west side of O’Plaine Road, approximately 1/2 block south of Grand Avenue, in Gurnee. The trip ends at Independence Grove Forest Preserve, located just north of Buckley Road, about 1/2 mile east of Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville.
Notes: This trip features one of Lake County’s newer forest preserves.
Always check United States Geological Survey (USGS) water data before your trip.
4 thoughts on “Gowe Park to Independence Grove”
Just did this stretch of river, mid-august 2023. The river was above median, around 3 feet gauge height per USGS data at Gurnee. Made the five miles in around 2 hours so a pretty good flow. No hidden obstacles that I encountered. Incredibly pleasant and fun paddle, no obstacles or issues, just a great stretch of river with tons of wildlife and birds. Both the put in at Gowe park and the take out at Independence grove have plenty of parking and very clear launch sites. The gowe park access point is very nice with a gravel path and cement blocks. The Independence grove is a bit less developed, just a clear grassy slope down to the river, a bit steep but still very close to the parking lot. Highly recommend this stretch of river, it is beautiful and feels wild – even when you can see the six flags coasters in the distance!
Thanks for sharing this with the community. Glad you had a good adventure!
There is a log jam blocking the river a little North of the Independence Grove landing site, at the following coordinates:
42.31987° N, 87.95603° W
My daughter & I were able to push through it, but I just wanted to warn others.
Tom K. and Jim H. We were originally planning on paddling the Gowe park to indepenedance Grove section of the river. Fortunately we found out out ahead of time that independance Grove is a pay use area for non lake County paddlers. We both live outside lake County. We changed plans to put in at Gowe park and take out at Oak Spring road launch. The river was high and moving so we paddled the 8 miles in about 3.25 hours. The river was open except for 2 spots we manuvered through without portaging. A very enjoyable trip. Lots of birds.