Staying Home Sucks, home
Techny Towers
Northbrook, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Eden, Janine and Jim from New York City, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Allison Woods Canoe Landing

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

68Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 81 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
11kntoo gusty
Air
18°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
22kntoo gusty
Air
23°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
21kntoo gusty
Air
18°C
Rain
2.9 mm

Thu 5 · 71 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
19kntoo gusty
Air
12°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 84 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 84 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Sun 8 · 73 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
10°C
Rain
8.4 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 195, good
  2. Mon 281, good
  3. Tue 30, poor
  4. Wed 40, poor
  5. Thu 571, good
  6. Fri 684, good
  7. Sat 784, good
  8. Sun 873, good
  9. Mon 980, good
  10. Tue 100, poor

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Allison Woods Canoe Landing
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov95, good2 kn7kn18°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov81, good6 kn11kntoo gusty18°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov0, poor11 kn22kntoo gusty23°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov0, poor9 kn21kntoo gusty18°C2.9 mm
Thu 5Nov71, good7 kn19kntoo gusty12°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov84, good2 kn8kn12°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov84, good3 kn12kn11°C0.6 mm
Sun 8Nov73, good4 kn16kn10°C8.4 mm
Mon 9Nov80, good5 kn13kn11°C0.3 mm
Tue 10Nov0, poor11 kn21kntoo gusty10°C2.4 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jun–Sep

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Allison Woods Canoe Landing

A launch on the Des Plaines River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 9.6 km away. For new paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and February, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Northbrook. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River Des Plaines River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 9.6 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$898–US$1,600 each

about US$898–US$1,600 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: fuel, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Fuelabout 80 km there and back, sharedabout US$7–US$7
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or bring your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$898–US$1,600

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Northbrook

Closest

Northbrook

5 min by car

about US$134/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Northbrook · Booking.com

About Northbrook its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 45 min

About 45 min door to door from Chicago

Drive: Drive, about 45 min

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

Gauge at DES PLAINES RIVER NEAR DES PLAINES, IL, 2 km downstream: 0.129 m³/s, very low for November (updated 1 h ago). Low.

Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits