Staying Home Sucks, home
The Des Plaines River - view from the trail - panoramio
Dam No. 2 Woods Canoe Landing. Photo: Jayesh Naithani, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dam No. 2 Woods Canoe Landing

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

70Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: Wind 4 kn gusting 11, Air 13 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Wed 4 · 35 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
20kntoo gusty
Air
17°C
Rain
4.6 mm

Thu 5 · 66 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
16kntoo gusty
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 82 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Sat 7 · 83 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 32 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
15kntoo gusty
Air
11°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Mon 9 · 70 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 10 · 73 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 30, poor
  2. Wed 435, poor
  3. Thu 566, good
  4. Fri 682, good
  5. Sat 783, good
  6. Sun 832, poor
  7. Mon 970, good
  8. Tue 1073, good
  9. Wed 1182, good
  10. Thu 1280, good

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 Dam No. 2 Woods Canoe Landing
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov0, poor11 kn22kntoo gusty22°C1.4 mm
Wed 4Nov35, poor10 kn20kntoo gusty17°C4.6 mm
Thu 5Nov66, good8 kn16kntoo gusty13°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov82, good4 kn9kn13°C0.9 mm
Sat 7Nov83, good4 kn11kn13°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov32, poor7 kn15kntoo gusty11°C2.1 mm
Mon 9Nov70, good7 kn18kn12°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov73, good6 kn19kn13°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov82, good4 kn13kn11°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov80, good6 kn16kn15°C0 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 Wed 4 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.

Photos of Dam No. 2 Woods Canoe Landing

Another deer - panoramio
Photo: Jayesh Naithani, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Euclid overpass heading south - panoramio
Near Dam No. 2 Woods Canoe Landing. Photo: ckilian, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dam No. 2 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. None within 10 km, the nearest 11 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 Glenview. 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 None within 10 km, the nearest 11 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$899–US$1,600 each

about US$899–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 2 November 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$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or bring your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$899–US$1,600

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Glenview

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Glenview

about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Glenview · Booking.com

About Glenview 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 2 November 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, 1 km upstream: 0.085 m³/s, very low for November (updated 2 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