I&M Canal State Trail

We decided to kick off our 2026 hiking season with a park that was long overdue: the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail, I&M for short. This state trail is a 61.5 mile towpath running alongside part of the canal, starting in Rockdale and ending in LaSalle. The starting point of the trail is about an hour southwest of Chicago, while the end point is just shy of two hours southwest.

The canal was built in order to connect Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, by way of the Illinois river. The canal was completed in 1848, and was originally 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep, with 15 locks to account for any differences in elevation. Originally the barges were pulled by horses or mules walking along the towpaths. When the Illinois Waterway was completed in 1933 the I&M Canal was closed to navigation, and was instead developed for recreation.

Along its path are several state parks and historical sights. We have previously visited all of the parks the trail goes through, and have walked snippets of the trail while doing so, but we had not focused on the trail itself until now. It would take many days for us to walk the entirety of the trail, so we decided instead to go to the final stretch in LaSalle, because that is where the visitor center is located.

We really weren’t expecting much from this park, thinking back on the experiences we had at the parks located along the trail. Many of the parks are small and unassuming, and don’t necessarily offer a full day’s worth of activities, and seemed to be there mostly as points of access to the I&M Canal than anything else. We were also comparing it to our experience with the Hennepin Canal State Trail: fun and worth doing, but monotonous after a while (at least for the section we walked).

Not only was the I&M trail better than we were expecting, but the whole experience of the day ended up being the best kick off to hiking season we could have hoped for. Starting off, the section of trail that goes through LaSalle has a series of sculptures representing the history of the canal, so you can learn about the area before you begin hiking. One of the locks is also located by the parking lot. We weren’t sure if this one still gets used, but it was interesting to see up close all the same.

We followed the path to the left, and decided to walk until we hit the end of the trail, where the canal meets the Illinois river proper. It started as a sidewalk, then turned into a paved road, and finally gave way to a dirt trail. Across the canal we could see industrial buildings, and talked a little about the effect industry had on this part of the state in general. Mostly we were simply enjoying a cloudless March morning, when we spotted a bald eagle in a tree.

For all the park visits we’ve had, very rarely do we see any wildlife at all other than waterfowl, songbirds, and squirrels. We’ve seen deer a few times, and the odd ground hog or muskrat. We have even seen eagles before, but only at Eagle Weekend at Starved Rock in January, and always at a distance. This was something else entirely. In the five years we have been doing this project, we have never been so excited about anything park related. It was like the eagle was there just to pose for photos. We proceeded to completely geek out and videocall everyone in our immediate families to share the experience with them as best we could. We always knew that there was a chance to see an eagle like this, especially in this part of the state, but we truly didn’t expect it to happen, nor did we expect to be as excited as we were.

Tearing ourselves away from filling up our cameras just with pictures of the eagle, we continued walking till the end of the trail. We found the trail itself to be very easy. People just getting started would find this park well within their capabilities. For us, it was a good way to get back into the rhythm of being outside.

Once we reached the end, there was nothing to do but turn around and head back, passing our eagle friend one more time. We stopped in at the visitor center, which was small but informative, and got lunch in the cafe that shares the space.

The business we wanted to highlight was Keg Grove Brewing in Morris. Unfortunately, they were closed for an event the day we were there. Not to be discouraged, we decided to visit the Bloomington location a few weeks later on our way down state for our next hiking trip. We have been to Keg Grove before, and always enjoy their beer. They always have a variety of fruit beers that we like to sample.

While seeing the eagle was undoubtedly the highlight of the day, I believe that the I&M Canal trail is an interesting enough park to recommend on its own merits. Our experiences have always been straightforward, relatively flat, and not intense at all. Anyone would be able to enjoy this park. It is also flat enough that people could bike here with very little difficulty. We would definitely say that I&M Canal State Trail is worth visiting.