Staying Home Sucks, home
103 Kingsley Ave
Near Northwestern Woods Canoe Landing. Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Northwestern Woods Canoe Landing

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

85Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: Wind 8 kn gusting 23, Air 23 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 92 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
23°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
26kntoo gusty
Air
18°C
Rain
23.7 mm

Thu 5 · 81 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 87 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 86 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sun 8 · 79 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
10°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Mon 9 · 80 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 288, good
  2. Tue 392, good
  3. Wed 476, good
  4. Thu 581, good
  5. Fri 687, good
  6. Sat 786, good
  7. Sun 879, good
  8. Mon 980, good
  9. Tue 1087, good
  10. Wed 1186, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

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 Northwestern Woods Canoe Landing
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov88, good8 kn19kn16°C0.2 mm
Tue 3Nov92, good8 kn23kn23°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov76, good11 kn26kntoo gusty18°C23.7 mm
Thu 5Nov81, good7 kn16kn13°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov87, good3 kn13kn12°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov86, good4 kn10kn11°C0.3 mm
Sun 8Nov79, good7 kn18kn10°C2.1 mm
Mon 9Nov80, good6 kn19kn9°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov87, good5 kn17kn12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov86, good5 kn15kn12°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

No month stands out

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

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 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. Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec5of 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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Northwestern 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 13 km away. The town to stay in is Des Plaines.

  • 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 13 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 70 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: Des Plaines

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

Closest

Des Plaines

about 5 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Des Plaines · Booking.com

About Des Plaines 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, 8 km upstream: 0.085 m³/s, very low for November (updated 3 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