Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park

About Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park

The Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park is the place to be if you want a nice view of the Minnesota River and its tributaries or a quiet walk through the woods.

The Hennepin Canal is more than just a place for fun, but also a great place to spend a day with family or friends. Bring a picnic, and the 104.5-mile linear park, which stretches the entire length of the Minnesota River and its tributaries, has plenty of picnic tables.

In fact, the entire canal is on the National Register of Historic Places, and you can even play in the water on the Hennepin Canal Trail, one of the park's most popular attractions. The original plan to build the canal that connects Illinois and Mississippi dates back to 1834.

Congress approved a preliminary study of the project in 1871, and construction began in 1892. The first boats were built in 1903, reducing the distance between Chicago and Rock Island to 419 miles.

But there were problems: state funding problems slowed many public works projects, but transportation cuts continued to be cheaper than railroads.

During construction of the canal, the Corps of Engineers widened the locks on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. In the 1930s it was mainly used for leisure traffic, and by the 1940s the canals were obsolete, the rivers were connected and Marion had made her first voyage.

The M had been completed nearly 60 years earlier and helped make Chicago one of the largest cities in the country. It connected the transportation network that connected Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico, and it connected Chicago with other major Midwestern cities, as well as New York City and Los Angeles.

The Hennepin was the first American canal built of concrete with stone cladding and was open to shipping until 1951. In winter, ice and frozen water from the canal was sold to pay for the maintenance of the canals, but the use was free. The "Hennepsin Canal" (once known as the Illinois-Mississippi Canal) has been open to shipping since 1951 and functions as a public park.

Although the Hennepin waterway has had limited success, the technical innovations used in its construction have been a bonus for the construction industry. There are 33 locks in the canal, and For the first time in the history of the USA and in other parts of the world, lock chambers made of concrete were used. The innovations that pioneered this area were probably used on the Panama Canal. Artificial lakes were also used to irrigate the canals, as the water had to flow uphill rather than downstream.

In the 1930s, the first Illinois River was doused with water, and thirty - two are still visible today in Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park and several other canals.

Fourteen of the locks have, as in Hennepin, marshal gates, which are raised and lowered on a horizontal axis similar to a rural mailbox. One of them is the Marshall Gate lock, which has been reopened, although it is not in use.

The gates of the remaining locks were replaced by concrete walls, creating a series of waterfalls. Hennepin originally had concrete troughs to channel the canal and canal traffic from the major rivers and streams into the canal.

The equestrian camping is limited to the south side of the lock area 21 and is open only for horses, cleaning up after the horses and no more than two days a week.

In Hennepin, the maximum horsepower limit for the lock area on the north side of the lock is 24, in other places it is 10 horsepower. The lock route starts at lock 24, which is closed at the southern end of the park, north of Hennepin Lake Road and south of Lake Street.

The water is calm, but if canoeing is your sport, forget the preparation for a workout, you need your back and your arms. Many locks are no longer in operation or have been removed, and lock 21 East is particularly hard.

Picnic tables are distributed in all areas of the main complex to spend a day of relaxation and enjoyment. Playground equipment in the large shelters will keep children busy, while adults will have the opportunity to have fun. The large ones can be reserved for picnics and other outdoor activities such as canoeing, kayaking, hiking and fishing. The park starts in autumn and lasts through spring, summer and autumn and offers a variety of activities for children and adults.

An ancient trawl originally designed to tow boats along the main route of the channel's feeder routes but never used by animals, offers 155 miles of one-stop walking entertainment. Drinking water is available and there are outdoor toilets in the park, as well as toilets and showers in the visitor centre. There is an outdoor fountain, picnic area, picnic tables and picnic benches.

Walking along the entire length of the canal, you should make several stops along the way and the walk is very pleasant, especially in autumn when Mother Nature is working wonders with the autumn leaves. If you want something more challenging, you should take the Hennepin, which is flat and easy but offers a variety of trails, some of which are of medium difficulty. Located directly on the canals, it offers magnificent views, not to mention wildlife, as well as a number of hiking trails and picnic areas.

This route runs from Bureau Junction in the east to Colona on the Rock River and from Bureau Junction in the west to Rock Falls. There is a path to the summit of the falls, which is 29.2 miles long and can be climbed in just over two hours, with a total vertical drop of 1,000 feet. A mountain bike is not required, but you should bring your own refreshment, as only three areas in the corridor have water (Castles 21, 22 and Visitor Center).

Give your horse priority, as it can lead to a significant traffic jam on the highway and in the area of the waterfalls.

The Hennepin Canal Parkway is similar to I-80 in western Illinois, and travelers traveling east to west on I / 80 should take Exit 45 and turn right into the south on Route 40. The Parkway Visitor Center is located at the southern end of the park, south of Interstate 80 and west of Route 30.

Drive into the center and turn right or west on Route 40 and cross the canal almost immediately.

After about one mile, there is a brown sign that will take you into the Parkway Visitors Center, and you can turn left onto Route 30, which will take you from west to right.